454 engine questions

[Curtis-79MH]

Hi to all you wonderful Airstream nuts! I've recently become one myself

Just wondering about my 454. I have 73,000 miles on my 1979 MH, I get an average of 11 mpg and I seem to have a lot of power, but the engine does ping on a steep grade or under heavy load.

That doesn't bother me too much, but the oil consumption does...about a quart to every tankful of gas. Imight add that the engine is equipped with Banks headers. I don't see any great external leakage....and I have stuck my head out the window and have not seen any evidence of oil burning through the exhaust pipe.

Any ideas? Valve guides? Worn rings?

The engine is fine for now,but I will keep my eyes open for a decent deal on a new or used 454. Can I replace my current engine with a later model fuel injected engine?? Or is that a big headache?

Cheers to all and thanks for this great forum!!
Curtis