Compression fittings are available down to 1/8" OD. But your oil line will be 3/16" OD. That fitting I posted a picture of is actually the one from a 216 I have. It slipped off the tubing that I just measured and would be available if yours isn't going to come off.
Your rockers, springs and such look fairly normal. The end play is dealt with by the springs, bolt stands and the clips on the ends. What you need to look out for is excessive wear on the bottom of the shafts, as mentioned before. Just be sure you keep everything in the same order as they came off. Also when you put it back together, be sure that the tubing isn't against the passage thru the head or any other part of the block.
The problem with sweat copper couplings is they're only readily available down to 3/8 OD tubing. You might be able to use 1/4" OD tubing as a coupling for 3/16" OD tubing, but sweat fittings are dependent on a fairly close fit. Some 1/4" OD tubing has smaller ID than 3/16" so wouldn't work. But with the right mandrel you could swage (expand) it to fit. If I had to I might try it but it's fairly complicated.
Last edited by klhansen; 09/15/2026 2:50 AM.
