Engine ping in Series II

My parents have a 97 Pontiac with a NA Series II. It's always had this engine ping for lack of a better word. I've tried higher grade fuel but that hasn't helped? Can I adjust something to make it quit if I find someone with a tuner?

The plugs I pulled out of it were AC 41-921.

maybe something in it is broke, there are alot of other things that can make a knock noise. does it only do it at idle or at all rpm? does the ping stay steady or does it change with the valve motion?

I would say it steady. Noticable at highway speeds. My mom discribes it as "keys jingling".

bad coupler? just a guess, b/c i really cant tell you much without actualy hearing it or knowing more about the noise. sorry.

It's not supercharged.

I think my parents are going to give me the car. I thought about using the engine and tranny in da riv. I'd just need a supercharger for it. But I'd like to get the "ping thing" worked out before I'd consider it for an engine swap.

my bad i didnt reread the N/A part
if you plan on doing a swap you may be better off selling the GP and buying a L67 to drop in. they go for pretty cheap.
can you feel the ping or just heap it? could it be an exhaust tick/leak?

I can't feel it, just hear it. It doesn't seem to affect performance, more annoying than anything. I thought maybe I could adjust something to fix it since it is a series II. Then I thought maybe a cooler range plug, but I don't know if that make a difference since it's not SC.

I'd get it scanned to see if it's reading as KR. If it is a true knock issue, would be a good idea to do a fuel system and top engine clean. Otherwise, the noise could be the belt, lifters, a rocker, or something worse. Maybe the old screwdriver to the ear trick would help locate the source?