Nope never did get it sorted out. Just ran it like it was. Ended up dealing with some other problems that were more pressing. I may revisit it when the season starts. If you've got twins you can move parts around, which is helpful.

496 idle/load
 

I had a 496 ho that was having the suction sound fluctuating but ran really good. Noticed last weekend when i took it out the suction sound stopped but the motor started and idled smooth but when its under load and you romp on the throttle it sounds like a miss where compared to the opposite motor it runs and sounds good. I dont feel anything rough in the driveline but I plan on checking that too.