So, finally got some time to wrench on the car. Since the last post, I came across articles regarding spark plug selection regarding reach, heat range, material, etc. So I decided to check what I had (ACDelco R44LTS6). The shop that swapped my motor installed these. Looked up what the parts warehouse where i ordered the engine from recommended, same plug specifications but with a shorter reach (Accel 576S).
For the life of me, could not find a heat range chart (hot to cold) for the ACDelco. The Accel breakdown is available. Anyways, decided to buy a set of the shorter reach Accel's. I have to say, the knock has damn near been illuminated!! If I drive at a lazy-Sunday-afternoon-cruise-speed, the knock is nonexistent from inside the car. If I drive normal (i.e. spirited), I can hear a faint sound. However, it is a barely perceivable sound and it occurs less often than before. When I ran the AC before, the knock would increase compared with not running the AC. With the Accel's and AC, again subtle knock, almost no change from running without AC on. Not completely solved but much better than before.
Does this change in parts and performance make sense? Anyone encounter similar situation? Any suggestions on additional tweaks I can perform to fully illuminate the knock?
Note: I do have a stock rebuilt CCC distributor purchased few months back I have yet to install. Could this help? The car starts and runs well for having what I believe is the original distributor.
Thanks again everyone for past and future comments!!