That tube is a tight fit between the push rod and the the side cover. You don't want the pipe to contact either one.
I didn't have a spare side cover to cut to visually check it on mine (a great idea, BTW), so I bent the tube to just barely miss the push rod by about 1/8" ,making sure that the tube was relaxed and not under side tension as I connected the top end to the connection piece on the rocker arm assembly.
You also want to make sure that the tube does not contact the hole in the head at the top.
