oldcar,
The rocker assembly seems to be the last place to get oil. Without the valve cover off, you might not get to see all the activity. This might include the oil pouring out the bypass or overflow on the center oiler.
The path to the rockers has some small, blockage prone areas, and the rocker shafts, unless cleaned properly might be "solid".
I wouldn't have heart failure UNTIL I actually ran the rig...with valve cover off and watched for the telltale oil drips.
Pulling the sidecover on a 216 is more of a headache than the smaller cover on the newer rigs, so finish the installation and run the engine, it will probably be fine. If it is plugged somehow, it isn't terminal.
The valve cover shouldn't be permanently installed until after a final valve adjustment, so it should be a piece of cake to take it off and watch as the engine runs.
Stuart
