Now considering the problem is only when the car is hot wont i run the risk of over heating it by starting it with no water pump when the car is already at 180*

You will be okay for the 30 seconds it takes to determine if the ticking has gone away or not.

Yea, you will be fine. If you would feel better, have someone sit in the car and when you are ready at the engine bay, have your partner fire up the car. You should only need 3 seconds to determine if the noise is gone or not then you can quickly have your partner shut the engine off. No biggie really, I've done it many times.

ok ill check that this weekend if i have the time. on another note i heard the noise when the car was cold tonight for the first time. car was at only about 120* and i floored it on the on ramp and heard the ticking come about at around 5k. so its obviously there when cold but to quiet to hear over the other noises

One thing you might want to try that will be good for you engine even if it doesn't fix the problem. Throw a 1/2 can of Seafoam in the crankcase 50 to 100 miles before your next oil change. If your ticking is coming from a sticky lifter it might help.

found something interesting. i have thought it was a exhaust leak since the begining but people keep telling me it cant be or its too metallic well i noticed this on the downpipe. notice how it looks black on one side and gold on the other

thoughts?

Take the other half of that can of Seafoam and suck it into the intake. When you start if up it should smoke pretty good, and you may be able to see a leak. Otherwise, take it into an exhaust shop for a smoke test.

Bump still can't pinpoint this noise. Replaced all bad pullies, checked multiple times for exhaust leaks isn't getting worse or better. It'* hardly noticeable with load on the engine but when you rev it up you can hear it. It seems to be a bit more consistent now it starts at 2k rpm and seems to speed up with the motor. Now that all the othe noises are taking care of and after changing the oil it seems to be coming from the front valve cover. Thinking it may be a sticky lifter but the whole having to drive the car at highway speeds for nearly 30miles to get it to start makeing noise still seems weird