When I listened to both of your ticking sounds I felt that they sound just about exactly like my engine does. I adjusted the valves at around 500 miles after overhaul. I'm at just over 4,000 miles now. I've never noticed a change in the ticking sound. It's been there since the overhaul and I've just accepted it as normal.
When Carl came for a visit with his Jeep last fall, and I first started up my Jeep, he said, "Your valves are a little noisy." So I asked, "Should I worry about it?" He said, "No, not a bit." Then a few minutes later he started up his Jeep. If there was a ticking sound you had to almost imagine it. Then I realized that somehow even a L-134 CAN idle with little or no ticking sound, and compared to his engine, which he was used to, mine was a bit noisy. Just for what it's worth.
Now, even after what Carl explained in his post above, I think we can put him on the spot to give us extensive step-by-step training till we can eliminate the ticking.
