cylinder head advice?

I just had the heads redone on my 76 sud, partly hoping the smoke was from the stem seals needing attention, and it still smokes a bit..
My question is, if the heads are reconditioned, would they have done the stem seals as well?? cost me a lot so i hope alls well..

Did you ask them specifically to add stem seals to the exhaust valves?

Have you done a compression test since the heads were reconditioned? You can surely assume the valves are seating properly and the head gasket isn't leaking, so poor compressions would be due to the piston rings and would explain the smoke. Or if the compressions are good, maybe the head reconditioners didn't check for valve guide wear and the oil gets in that way.
I could be talking rubbish, by the way.

i think the head reconditioners didnt check, before the head was sent off the compression was tested and fine.. so it is possible that they didnt do the seals? hmmmm...
and yes the first thing i said to the mechanic was could they fix the stem seals..

some sud heads don't actually have stem seals on the exhust valves, think it was either james & nick or rsfruitbat that have mentioned this before they also mention that they can smoke a bit on tick-over in this set up can't remember why they wouldn't have them though, something to do with the exhust valve/valve guide expanding?

Just a thought but wouldn't it be the Inlet valve stem seals ie oil being drawn/forced into the cylinder on induction? Surely exhaust stem seals are where oil is being forced away from the exhaust by the higher pressure in the exhaust port??

think the oil is free to coat the whole valve stem when there is no seal, with the seal in place the oil is scraped off a bit more to keep the oil coating to a minimum. as the valve opens (stem coated in oil) the hot gases will burn the oil off into the exhaust manifold.
have just tried to find the thread where it was mentioned before, but can't. seem to think it was one of the guys who races/rallies a sud so that would be james&nick or rsfruitbat. sure they will be along soon to clear it up. know they mentioned that oil-smoke is pretty much a guarantee in this set up

thanks guys,
well im going to head in today and see what they say, i just hope i dont get stitched.. can't afford to have the whole thing done again on the pistons, and surely after 75000kms theyd be ok?

Exactly right Kevjtd. On engines where revs are going to be high majority of time some peopleleave exhaust valve stem seals off to allow oil to lubricate more freely the whole of the stem. Exhaust valves run a lot hotter than inlet because dont get cooling effect of incoming air, only outgoing hot gases.
Problem is that when stationary, oil can weep down valve guide and into exhaust tract. When you start engine up then this has to burn off. depending on how hot engine is can get oil weep

rsfruitbat