Engine ticking and vibration

[Clovis]

As I've been sorting out things on my 64 sdv my goal has been to make it a reliable long distance driver. Two issues are bugging me one is a intermittent ticking and a slight vibration while driving.

First the ticking, the engine is rebuilt and I know the heads were redone as I've had a valve cover off. Sometimes it starts to tick when it's stared and sometimes when it gets warmed up. If I rev up the engine it will go away. I read in the shop manual that I can remove lifter without taking the engine apart much, disassemble them, clean and reinstall. Any one try this? Also if I take a stethoscope to the engine it sounds more like it's coming from the flexplate torque converter area.

The vibration feels like it has a harmonic to it kinda increases and decreases in pitch as I'm driving steady. I've installed new u joints and center bearing and new tires are balanced. It feels like its at the engine. When I got the car it came with another engine and trans with a pile of other engine parts. Everything was rusted from being left outside at some point and I scrapped it all. The son of the owner told me they used two engines to make one good one. With everything I've read on here I'm hoping they used the right flex plate on this thing. I'm going to drop the torque converter cover this week to see if anything is loose at the flex plate and inspect for cracks as best i can.

Could the ticking be related to the flexplate?

[Clovis]

Hello Logan, here is what I've done. Rear seal and bushing on the transmission, adjusted the yaw transmission mounts, new transmission (rear engine) mount, all new U joints and tires balanced. The engine is a 65 429 with the mounts welded so that they fit the 64 mounting spots. I didn't replace the engine mounts as they were like new and a custom install. I have electric fans so nothing can come from that area. The vibration is very slight now and as Jason has posted many times, I believe to fully cure the tiny bit left I will need the address the velocity joint. I did buy up the last of the rebuild kits available online and will have a machine shop perform that service in the future. 

Depending on the miles of your car the rear transmission bushing just inside of the seal is a fairly easy and cheap fix. Get under the to check and you can move the input shaft up and down and side to side a bit. It shouldn't do this. 

[Logan Robb]

Thank you for a detailed list of the parts you have serviced!! It is greatly appreciated. To my knowledge, the car only has 55,000 miles. I don’t have documentation to support this, but I believe there would be many more issues I’d be experiencing is it was 155,xxx. 

Do they not make rebuild kits for the drive shaft any longer? 

Thanks!

[Jason Edge]

Look at your brake pedal pad, especially on the right side. If it is pretty much worn smooth on the right side, even into the stainless trim, it is almost certain a 155K mile car. If it still has raised rubber tread and stainless is good, could be 55K. That 100K miles makes a different on these brake pads.

[Logan Robb]

The stainless is damaged in the area, but not from wear. Rubber is still raised best I can tell. Gas pedal appears the same. 

I’ve been under the car as well and everything is pretty ship shape under there. It was, again to the best of my knowledge and the PCV into the air cleaner, a California car before it’s trip to NY. 

Even if 155, it’s of no bother to me. But is insightful to know when rubber parts may be needed.