curious about valve lash setting/check

that is certainly a possibility, because when I heard the chatter I shut it down. I pulled the driver's side cover and checked torque again on the shaft (at your, and others recommended torque, went 16 ft lbs), it was good. I'll go out and run it for a minute and see what happens? or should I just set it at TDC , go four rotations and check the 3 intake and 5 exhaust seeing as I have that valve cover off?

Don't change anything "yet". Just run it. Are you sure it has oil pressure? If so, run it for a bit.