302 comet

[:@] I overheated my 302 cid enginewith 24,000 ORIGINAL miles and now it has nasty ticking noise, any ideas where to start?

Some mechanics say colapsed piston, i think bent valve or something in head.
Any advice would be nice before i tear it out of my 1975 Mercury Comet
the ticking will near stop when coasting down the highway, but any pull on the engine or accelerating will make the sound louder.
at an idle it is a medium tick about every rotation i think.
I havent touched it with any tools yet so what should I start with? compresion test? pull off the heads? pull motor out and total rebuild?

Any advice will be helpfull.

CAR INFO: 1975 Mercury Comet, 302cid engine, 2bbl carb, 3 speed C4 trany, 3.00 rear end, 4 door, white vinyl, red paint, all original 24,000 miles,
very smooth ride and very peppy engine. estimated at 240-250 rwhp after all the parts I put into it.

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