Money is the problem. I have already flush the cooling system and it has good flow and the thermostat I just replaced 3 months ago, as well as plugs and and checked timing. The other thing that worries me about this old engine is half the time on a cold start its very slow turning over and acts nearly stuck. The battery is new. I replaced the starter and no change.
As luck would have it I was at the wreckers with a mate to get a part for his Commodore when I spotted a ae82 corolla write off with 100000k on it. the price for the engine? $135.