Hi all, brand new here. Looks like a great spot. I have an 89 Sierra with a 5.0 liter engine, 150,000 miles. Valve stem oil seals are done & valve guides are worn so I always get a lot of blue smoke at start up & a constant ticking in the top end. I was told there isn't much point changing oil seals because with the valve guides done they'd just go again anyway. I asked about changing cylinder heads & was told that could cause too much compression & end up blowing out the bottom end which already knocks on startup on cold winter days. I just changed oil & added a bottle of Bardahl No Smoke & it didn't help. Would using thicker oil in the summer months make any difference, is there anything else that could be done or should I just put up with the embarrassment of a smoke show on start up? Thanks.

You have 3 choices.
Live with it.
Replace or rebuild the heads. If you do then also pull the pan and check your rod and main bearings.
Rebuild or replace the engine.