Fresh engine, wiped cam? Tick? (new pics added)

I can make dry lifters do it or a lifter that has bleed down......they have to have oil in the to stay "pumped up" if you had a bad "collapsed" lifter....it will not hold the oil pressure in the lifter and will not let it pump up and maintain pressure.

Are you taking about the rattle or just the collapsing of lift?

you need to figure out if you have bad lifters because they were cheap no name brand lifters? or if you got a bad batch? or if there is something set up wrong in your engine?

I am going to say that between the decked block and milled heads....that your pushrods being stock length are to long and made your lifters fail.

I kinda agree..........with the block deck and the head shaved, the lifter should be deeper then .015"???

myasylum, You may want to double check you work,, to make sure its .015 or what.

you need to get cutom pushrods or shim out your rocker arms and get a new set of lifters and you should be good to go!

I agree, only get the lifters first and then make the dession on shims and lifters.

myasylum, what was the stock thickness of the your head gasket before and what is it now.
this may add some insight to the problem