Hey X88RED,
Ticking in the engine bay may be a normal sound for the car, or may be an indicator of rod bearing wear. There are a bunch of videos on this site of the ticking sound and I would listen to those to see how they compare to your sound. I would be more concerned about that than a cracked manifold. I would get a second opinion from another shop. Check out these threads:
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...=ticking+sound
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...=ticking+sound