I seem to remember a problem with a camshaft bearing that would turn in the block and choke off that passage, but the 272/292/312 Ford V-8's also did that, so it might be my CRS kicking in!. If you choose to reinstall the external line, go with a piece of 3/16" steel brake line routed around behind the head. It looks better, and it won't starve the lower end for oil the way a larger line might. You really don't need a lot of oil flow to the head to keep the rocker arms lubed. The 216's got by with a 3/16" oil line through the block for many years.
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!