Okay, I'll try to offer something........till Jeff sees this!
Starter behavior......check the battery, if it isn't up over 12v @ rest then it may be the root. Seems these cars need a resting state over 13.?+ volts for the car to be happy. Secondly, all the wiring that is obvious in the starter circuit for corrosion and looseness. Third, it is a characteristic of our ignition system for the motors to crank for a long time before firing. It seems that it takes a few revolutions for the electronics to orient themselves....know where I think #6 cyl is...I may be wrong on the cyl #...but it takes awhile before a spark is sent because of this "searching for the right cyl" thing. Tyler Townsley has some great stuff on our ignition systems here. Remember our stuff is primative, now vs the modern stuff, but was out there back when.
Ticking in time with a particular cylinder could be yes the lifter looosing it's prime. It could be that the oil seal is weak or stiff and that could prodouce the ticking that goes away with time & operating temp. I would ask if you kno what kind of injectors the dealer used in the r & r job? I would not think that the OEM disc type would make a ticking noise. I am fairly certain that my RC's in my 90 as they are Lucas derrived can make a ticking as the pintel closes & opens.
I would venture a guess that changing out one lifter is fairly major surgery. Re-timming the cams on that bank & all. Ugh, I would be lost if I had to do that job....so I'll keep my mis-information to myself!
Tom