No to the led valve caps, thanks anyway.
Got the chain swapped out and the new rear tire, took it for a real ride in the 40f night air. The bike rides very nicely, smooth and quiet. The tires have great grip, handle really well on corners and are a very nice riding tire.
Pictured first are the original chain, on the right, and the chain on it now.
Both chains, lined up at the first link.
Both chains at the end, the stretched chain still on the right.
The original chain is 7/8" longer, which is part of the reason it sounded so bad, of course when you realize that the longer chain is only 55 links and the short one is 56 links, that adds a whole new dimension to the stretch.