Mike,
I definitely recommend going ahead with the Feuling oil pump & lifters along with the gear driven cams. The plate is more of an option, but if you shop around they can be had for less than list prices. At 24K, you are probably close to seeing the end of the tensioners and maybe some oil pump damage if they're worn beyond limits. At 12K+, the inside tensioner was bad and the oil pump had some scoring on mine. I see no advantage to Delkron over Feuling cam support plate, as far as brands go.
Don, to answer your question yes it's really got so much more torque where it's needed, and while there is some new mechanical noise, it's not unwelcome and grows on you. Doesn't sound like a Chevy Z-28 winding up, like I've heard on some older gear driven installations. [smiley=xyxthumbs.gif]
Good luck!!
Joe