Once again, I apologize for being wrong. Not that I like being right, but I hate being wrong. Would rather say I don't know than be wrong. With the notches being off I thought it was 17 links till I actually counted them. 16 links should make the notches match, as you already know. That is where the confusion came from (me not counting the links at first).

If it were me I would try different cams, chain, and CCT if it yields the same result. Sucks, but it seems you are in a rut. And what sucks more, this would be to only test if the notches would line up to the arrows (that difference between them is too much and what looks like is causing your issue). If they do, then there was something funky with those components. If not, then you are stuck at square one. But it is worth a try if you have extra parts laying around. I assume you want that car out the shop.