Thoughts?

All good input! Yeah, the tab for the tie bar won’t pass thru the bore without breaking it or cutting it. And it won’t come out thru the top without more blunt force trauma than I care to inflict.

So…here is my plan: I’m gonna drain the oil and see if there is any metal in it. If there is metal, pull the whole motor and assume it all needs to at least needs to be taken apart and inspected.
If the oil looks good, I’ll proceed with removing the cam, with the intent of changing the cam (very probably), as well as lifters and springs (most definitely.

Does this make sense to the more knowledgeable folks here? Just wanting to proceed logically here and not tear into further or sooner than required.

I’d also include cutting the oil filter open for a look.

Pressure fed oiling to the axles is generally part of the drill these days for SR’s getting lots of street use……but that’s a “relatively” new thing.
For years and years they were all splash oiled, which is the case for your Comp 829’s.

Not a speck of anything shiny in the oil or filter. I’m going to work on the assumption that the rotating assembly is ok.
I’m gonna pull the cam out and see what it looks like. Even if the cam is good (seems overly optimistic), I’ll have to consider what to do- I don’t think my use case justifies that much cam (although it sure sounds good!). A smaller (roller) cam and dp intake might make more sense…food for thought, and might be another thread to open up once the post mortem is complete.