Ticking sound from engine?

I have a 2006 Ford xr6 turbo with 105000kms on it and its making a ticking sound.
The car has been making the sound for some time now.
Ticking is in rhythm with the revs and is most noticeable under load at lower rpm but is not noticeable around 2000rm. The ticking is more noticeable when engine is cold and becomes less noticeable after 20-30 minutes of driving.
The sound is not as noticeable during deceleration but can slightly be heard if you listen carefully enough and also when in neutral.
I have been to a number of mechanics and heard everything form big end bearing to just using the wrong oil. The most helpful said change the oil to a lighter weight and put lifter free through it. Done this and the sound is less noticeable but still there but just not as loud.
The car has been idling higher than normal around 950rmp since having the ticking issue but since putting the oil and lifter product in the revs are now dropping to around 700rpm to 800rpm when I disengage the clutch (more normal range rpm). When it does this I have noticed the engine drop rpm and rise again when cruising on the highway but not very often (this only just started happening also along with the idle drops).
I think it's the hydraulic lifters but I honestly know very little about engines and have never heard lifters go bad on a car before.
What is causing this noise?
Sound its making shot on my phone.

I found some debris while rebuilding my ford 390?

I'm about halfway through rebuilding my ford 390 out of my '70 Galaxie. I find plenty of little metal chips in the greasy soup inside.
But I also found something which surprised me. It looks like long, tiny coil springs. And there's a whole bunch of them circulated everywhere inside of the motor. Where did these little springs come from?

How does transferring rego from a SA reg to a QLD reg work when buying a car?

My girlfriend and I are in Australia on working holiday visas and we're keen to buy a car in order to travel down th East Coast. We have found a car that looks decent, but the car's rego is for SA and we're in Cairns (QLD) and the rego is up in a few days. How will it work, renewing/transferring the rego from QLD and how much should it cost? The car is a ford falcon station wagon if that matters.