i have a 1966 buick special four door. i just had it up for the winter and now i got

[jamess]

it out? well the timing is off and it needs a tune up bad. but asside from that its leaking oil, my brother in law says ill need to replace the engine seals, which could mean tearing apart the engine
does anyone know what that would cost?
even relatively
like if i had a friend of the family dirt cheap mechanic???

 

[Stabnsteer]

I would locate the source of the oil. The most common places you'll find oil leaks are:

1) valve covers
2) at the oil filter
3) if you have an external oil cooler, check all the fitting points
4) the oil pressure gauge sender will often become a leak point
5) Rear main seal - this is the one that will cause you to have to tear down the engine...the oil will be leaking from inside the transmission housing.

If you can't find the source of the oil, then you may wish to take it to a mechanic you trust and have them tell you what's up.

Since part of your question was "how much to tear the engine apart?" I'd expect to pay no less than $1000 for the labor and parts. Pulling an engine and doing the work is many hours of labor and for a car that old, you're likely to find many issues upon pulling things apart.

Why not try it yourself? Get a $100 engine puller, a $50 set of tools, a Haynes manual and roll up your sleeves!