Burning Oil/Exhaust Smoke

[Doru]

Originally Posted by BigBlack48is

Just rub that salt in all of our wounds Doru... not all of us are fortunate enough to have it accomplished. I am only burning 1qt/2000-3000 miles tho.

Actually it's not that bad of a job. If I would compare it for example to a rear end total suspension overhaul, or front end suspension overhaul (incl control arms, etc), I would rather do the valve stem seals.
The most important thing is to STOP when you're getting tired, because it's more detailed oriented, and small mistakes with big issues could ensue. But the job is not too hard, just lots of stuff to remove and replace afterwards. And I would do the coolant pipe as well while in there, which is almost trivial (did that too, and 1/2 of the front seal was already loose, but I didn't experience coolant loss - matter of time I guess). The point is, many of us did change the valve cover gaskets. To change the stem seals is just one more step, not much stuff has to come off. All you need is the AGA tool set a couple long reach needle nose pliers and a skinny long reach magnet. Compressed air is a plus, but not 100% necessary if you are certain where the TDC is. Actually if you don't know this, you better not attempt the repair, and leave it to a qualified indy.