So, update. I had a couple of friends who've done more work on vehicles than I come over a few nights ago, to look that the truck. After crawling around under it, they diagnosed that it was the flex plate making the noise after all. Apparently you can feel the flex plate rubbing the bell housing while it's running if you crawl under the truck, something I wdidnt want to do while by myself. Also, as smooth as the enign runs, there was no apparent way it could be something internal. So, it looks like I'm just going to be into this thing for a flex plate!
In light of this, my friends said I could use their garage to complete the repair, so after exams are done, I'm going to put temporary tags on it and drive it over there. In the mean time, I'm going to address the ignition and brake issues it seems to have, as well as fix some unfortunate graffiti scratches in the hood.
In short, I'm excited that this thing won't be as expensive to fix as I thought!
