Yep, if you're keen to be back in action, you can nail what greenacc says over a weekend. Heaps of helpful people wrote heaps of helpful stuff on here, and what he says is simply a matter of following the instructions. You can pull all that stuff off - rocker covers, sump, timing cover - and restore new life to your motor by cleaning. It was the first thing I did when I bought my car off this Egyptian guy.
Looked like he had filled it up with camel blubber when it was new and then never changed it. Had to change the timing chains first. Had never owned one of these before, but by having a look on here and a couple of videos about it, I found it very easy. Easier than cleaning my overhead fishing reel, no joke. You couldn't even see the shape of some parts, so much oil coral had grown on there. You just use a bit of elbow grease and some gasoline, scrub it all clean. Use the right oil after and put a catch can on, like the other enthusiasts recommend here.
Biggest problem I have with the engine now is I can't hear it running, and keep trying to start it when it is already going. They come back from the dead no worries. A lot of little things bother you on the VZ now they are old, mainly from inattention and plastic and rubber bits perishing - the wrong oil - but all the major stuff is very robust. And everything is made so you can fix it.
Sometimes just the pickup blocks without sludging being too bad, but. Bits of plastic and silicone gasket and whatever got in through your oil filler cap over the years. Try just cleaning the pickup first if you don't want to embark on something more major. Chances are you will be good to go.
