57thekid,
If it turns out that you do have a 1957 truck engine, it will have mechanical (solid) lifters and the ticking might just be normal or it might be due to wear in the rocker-arm to valve mating surfaces.
When I have rebuilt a 216/235/261 engine, I have found that there is an indentation worn into the mating-surface of the rocker arms (from pushing down on the top of the valve). If there is an indentation, your feeler-gauge settings will be loose. This surface can be easily and quickly ground smooth and polished.
This is just a thought that you might pursue if your engine has mechanical lifters and you are back to square one.
Tim
