Rhoads lifters

I've wondered about the rhodes lifters for years. How annoying is the tick?
Depends on what you consider annoying. The tick is audible. If you use a short pushrod, it gets louder.

How much compression would be too much to run the Rhoads?
No limit.
Something else is going on. No way that cam in a 360 should require a 1000rpm idle.

Is timing dropping out when it's in gear?

Yea, something's off.