Ticking noise, 383, can't locate the source

Don't I need to have the springs off to do that?
Call me dumb, cause I am in this case.

Not really. Get a rocker at max lift and take a look at how close the retainer is to the guide. You might have to get a mirror. I'm not talking about a specific measurement here. Just look for SPACE. Course it'll take a while to do 16.