I have a 1980 LS with 60K miles that I bought new that has given me 30 years of reliable service. The body and interior are in excellent condition and the engine still runs strong, starts right up and does not show signs of smoke from the exhaust. However the last few years there has been a lot of smoke coming from the engine compartment as a result of oil leaking onto the engine and exhaust manifold which I believe is a result the oil control seals deteriorating. It doesn’t seam to affect the performance but has become very annoying especially when I close the garage door and it fills with a fog like smelly cloud. Therefore I’ve come to the conclusion it’s time for a rebuild. So I have two questions (for now).
1) Do you agree in general with my assessment?
2) Is there a reputable repair shop in NW PA/NE Ohio qualified to do this rebuild?

I appreciate any comments or suggestions.

 

I would first determine exactly where the leak is coming from. My first suspect would be the oil metering pump, on the front bottom corner of the passenger's side of the motor.



.

 

have you determined the rate of loss/consumption? also check the oil cooler for leaks and cracks.

 

oil control ring r internal and wouldn't be causing smoke to be coming from the engine compartment. check to see where the leak is as already mentioned.

 

Thanks for the comments. As a result I studied the source of the oil smoke in more detail and it appears to be emanating from the lower right front of the engine and from under the heat shield on the lower right side. So I suspect it’s the oil metering pump as Kentetsu suggested. Earlier when I looked in the engine compartment I noticed smoke coming from the air filter inlet so I thought the engine seals were going. However this time I took off the air filter cover and noticed nothing coming back up from the carburetor but smoke was still coming from the air filter inlet “tube”. Then I noticed a grayish colored ribbed hose coming from the heat shield to the bottom of the inlet tube. Once I removed this hose nothing was coming from the air cleaner but the connector tube continued to funnel smoke from the heat shield. Looks like I don’t need the major rebuild as I thought but just a repair to the oil metering pump. Thanks for the insight.