Ok, before i begin, i must tell you my automotive knowledge of the oil system is limited, and this is as far as i have come along.
When I bought my 82 pickup, I was told it leaked oil. I soon found, when driving it every day, it actually leaked worse than when it sat. I have got it down to around 1 qt /1000 miles.
My first instinct was to check the pcv. I could not remove the valve (see my other post). So, i more or less put that project on the back burner. I then decided the oil was leaking out of the transmission, because it was covered in oil. I found, however, the oil was just blowing back onto the transmission.
So, i found the bottom of the oil pan is covered in oil on the engine. The front of the engine (think along fan and crankshaft) is covered, but not so much oil as a flat black sludge. I really don't think this is the current leak, but i could be wrong. when you look at either side of the engine, it has sludge on the front 3", but the sides are clean. The valve cover has some oil coming out, but i have been assured by many people this is relatively normal, as it is a small amount.
I interpreted this as, there once was bad oil leaks, but when they rebuilt it (around 25k ago), they did not clean the engine (hey, it wasn't me) and so the sludge is really not leaks, just buildup. The valve cover, i think, is normal. I think my problem lies either with the PCV being plugged, or the oil pan gasket. My current plan is to remove the valve cover and get the PCV out, and if that doesn't work, go for the oil pan gasket (tighten/replace if needed)
Does anybody have ANY ideas or suggestions?