yea it likes to travel... and i was thinking more like really nasty oil. typing to fast and not thinking. lol

well its not tranny, converter or flywheel. def something in engine. got to dark to work and mosquitos could stand flat foot and shit in a dumpster. (there big)

ever heard of a tool that pinpoints where a sound is coming from? have one but not familiar with it. my dads the transmission tech that has been a mechanic all his life and has built engines before but not mine specifically. i trust him with the car but if it needs to be rebuilt i will be a bit worried. he recently built my brothers 350 for his 87 t/a and it runs great. really strong. if this was anything but engine i would have no worries. cars been in family since 95 so hes fixed/replaced almost everything atleast once. over 200k so i guess its about time.

is there any way to know for sure if its spun bearing without taking it out and physically looking or just waiting for the sound to become more noticeable? dont want to run it much longer if it does need a rebuild.

any recommendations on the next step?