So I guess I can give a brief summary.
1st Truck - Grey one.
Pre tick: Mopar 5w20 and occasionally Mopar 5W30.
Once I had the tick, replaced the lifters on the left bank and used the best ones for the right. That was the only way we could keep the cost of that job down.
After which based on
@Burla recommendation, we used Redline 5w30. I ran that oil continuously and the engine was smooth and whisper quiet.
Post Tick:
1st change: Redline Oil 5W30 - engine remained quiet and smooth.
2nd change: Total Quartz 9000 5W30. The engine oil sounded smooth and good, but certainly not as quiet as Redline.
3rd change: Motul 300V 5W40. Another recommendation from
@Burla. The engine sounded smooth and great, better than Total, but a little cammy than Redline. If that makes sense. The oil was more expensive than Redline as well.
It was then that I had the crash and totaled the truck.
2nd Truck - Black one.
Pre Tick:
The truck was already having a very slight almost indiscernible tick at start up when I bought it. The mechanic heard it. Once I bought the truck, we replaced all the fluids. Redline oil and Mopar gearbox, transfer and diff oils.
1st Oil change: Redline 5W30
2nd Oil change: Redline 5W30
3rd oil change: Redline 5W30 - it was at this point that we noticed a tick coming on.
4th oil change: AMSoil SS 5W30 - This was when the tick was loud and decided to do the rebuild, change the lifters.
Rebuild: It was then that at the mechanic discovered by my tick was two fold. Two of the bolts on the left manifold had sheered and the lifters on the left bank were looking pretty bad.
So we changed them in the same way. We changed the left bank lifters and then used the best of the old ones for the right.
Post Rebuild: We decided to use Castrol Magnatec 5W30. I was intrigued by the oil and wanted to test it out. Besides with some people using Castrol Edge 0W40 on their HEMI engines without any additives and having good results. Plus the cost of the oil was less than Redline and more readily available in the market. However the tick came back. This isn't a knock on Castrol. I'm guessing that there lifters on the right, even though the best ones, were damaged as well and therefore needed more Esters and moly, but sadly I didn't give it that.
1st oil change: HPL 15W40, based on recommendations to go thicker and use something with a good amount of moly. I later realized that the moly in this oil was only comparable to that of Castrol Edge. The tick became louder. Decided to replace the lifters on the right bank as well for new ones.
Post 2nd lifter change/ Rebuild: The mechanic said that the right side lifters, it wasn't just the rollers that failed. The lifters internally, were buggered. So they needed to be changed. No oil change would have helped that. Not even Redline.
Currently: Redline 5W30 - the engine is smooth and whisper quiet. I like it this way.