Thanks for all the input…

I did find the guy that had very reasonable prices for valve stem repairs in Atlanta. The shop is MB Auto Care in Loganville, GA - it's a good 45 minutes outside the city, but a great guy who does things right. He's an ex Air Force mechanic who is very meticulous.

He does a lot of valve stem seal replacements and it was half the price of the independent shop's quote. I got both the VSS and CCV knocked out and it definitely runs better, especially not having it smoke when it's idling. I've got the pictures of the old VSS he sent if anyone wants to see them.