Yes, the rocker shaft can be removed without messing things up, but putting it back in is a little tricky as you'll be opening some of the valves as you tighten the bolts to draw the assembly into place. Pushrods will have to be positioned as you put it in place and then tighten the bolts. Yes valves and springs can stay in place. It won't matter if you rotate the engine.
Before you pull the rocker shaft, you might try removing the distributor and spinning the oil pump with a drill motor using a steel rod with the end flattened to mate up with the slot in the pump. You should be able to see oil coming out of the rockers and out the overflow tube. As long as you don't turn the engine over, the distributor can drop back in in the same position before you took it out.
I doubt that the copper oil tube is a problem. If it does have a leak in it behind the side cover, you'll need to replace the whole thing like Jerry said. It starts on the opposite of the engine, goes through the cooling jacket and then up to the rocker oiler fitting. Coolant will have to be drained out. I would say that replacing the oil line would be more difficult than the rocker assembly.
Last edited by klhansen; 09/14/2026 4:49 PM. Reason: spelling
