To rebuild or not to rebuild? '81 911SC

[rockryno]

I've come to a crossroads -

My 1981 911SC has developed an annoyingly persistent oil leak in several spots under the engine, continuously leaking oil onto the headers and leaving a smoky, smelly trail wherever I go. I have to add a quart every month.

The car has 209,xxx miles, and has never been rebuilt. The thing runs very strong, and is very reliable.

I'd hate to go in and reseal the engine to eliminate any leaks, then discover I should have just rebuilt it while it was apart anyway.

On the other hand, I don't have $15k laying around for a quality rebuild. I don' have the space or time to do it myself, nor would I really trust myself to do it well.

So do I just do the bare minimum and reseal the bottom half and hope for the best with such a high mileage engine. Or do I bite the bullet and get a loan for $15k and have it professionally rebuilt? Or do I look for a lower mileage donor engine I can just swap in?

I'm not really looking to do any performance upgrades, it already has the turbo covers and can chain tensioner. I just want it to quit leaking and stay reliable.

[tharbert]

I'd diagnose the leaks first...maybe drop the heat exchangers and give it a good degreasing for a start? You could get that out of the way so you don't pay shop rates for a good cleaning. It could be something very simple like an oil sender aka triangle of death, oil return tube seals, bad oil line crush washer, or even valve covers.