Copper gets brittle from engine heat over time. Fortunately, its not hard to replace. Take off the pushrod cover and you'll see how it bends around the pushrods, goes through the engine to the driver side, then bends in a loop to connect to the oil distributor. The replacement kits are basically a length of copper with new fittings.
First push it through from pushrod side to distributor side. Bend it up and connect it to distributor. Then bend pushrod side - be sure to clear pushrods. Bend into rockers trim and connect.
I'm not sure about 49, but earlier pushrod covers even have a small buldge where the bend into the engine goes. Goal is no kinks.
Jim
