"the PO kept talking about valves "

Adjust the valves. An easy job, but you may want to buy a couple of wrenches to make it easier. Consider doing a compression test on the engine afterward. No sense spending much time or effort on replacing parts if compression is really low due to poorly sealing valves.

"...vaccume lines was craced and stiff/hard..."

Go through the engine compartment and replace any rubber vac line connectors that look like they need replacing. 1/8" ID line fits OK. Do note that this should have little effect on how the engine runs. Vacuum is used to regulate transmission shifting. If my understanding is correct, vacuum on the engine only regulates the EGR and the fuel pump shutoff valve.

"It has a block heater and it always started easy on that, otherwise it was hard to start."

Check resistance of glow plugs from wire connection to block. Should be 0.5-1.0 ohm. Replace any that deviate significantly from that value.

Does the glow plug light illuminate when you turn the ignition key to the first detent?

Lots of troubleshooting info on glow plugs and valve adjustment can be found in the archives.

It's hard to know what is leaking until you clean the engine. I would do that sooner rather than later.

__________________
1985 300SD, 203,000 miles, dark blue

Lil Sarah says: "Poor old Grandma Blue Car...She's sad."