Anyway, a status report, for those who care. We got the car running and managed to drive it around the block a few times. All the hoses have been replaced, we bypassed the heater, feeling that problems in that area were not worth dealing with right now. We had a problem with the fuel pump, but I found a replacement - it turned out that it wasn't quite a duplicate (it was for the Alpine, not the 90, but we were able to rebuild the 90's pump from my replacement, and when I rebuild the "new" pump, I'll have a spare, sort of. We had a knotty problem with the fan belt, being reluctant to jack up the engine on the oil pan, until assured by Bob Hamilton that this was de rigeur.
The good news is, the motor runs, the brakes are good, the clutch seems okay. The gears are quite difficult to find, but perhaps the linkage is loose, or maybe it just takes some getting used to. The bad news is, the radiator just won't cut it. After just a few miles, the car starts overheating badly, and driving it from Corona (current location) to Glendale is out of the question. We worked quite hard at making the cooling system work a little better, but our efforts went for naught. The best guess seems to be that there was, sometime in the past, a blown head gasket, and while the gasket was repaired, they didn't take care of the other problems it created. There appears to be some residue of oil in the radiator that we just can't manage to clean out. I suppose this means there is also residue in the coolant passages of the block, as well. I can see my way to taking care of the radiator, but don't know much about how I might cleanse the block.
It also appears the motor needs a valve job, and who knows what else. Can someone recommend a mechanic, preferably someone close to Glendale, who can give me an assessment of the car? I would like to have a clearer overall picture. After I get the radiator fixed, the car will be drivable, so I'll be able to get it to him, but I'd rather he were close by, so I don't have to drive it very far.
Also, there is the problem of getting the car to Glendale. Ramon, about a week ago, offered to help with his trailer, but I haven't heard from him since I've found out I simply won't be able to drive it home. Does someone know if he's in town currently? Is there someone else I can impose on? I believe that simply towing it is a very expensive option, and I'd just as soon avoid that expense, but I can't leave the car in my friends garage very much longer - his wife wants it out!
All in all, I'm not unhappy about the car. The paint looks like hell, and the upholstery is shot, the motor needs attention, and it'll take a long time to get it into decent shape, but it DOES run, and the body is in decent shape (just a few small dents in the back) and except for the rear bumper, everything is there. I expect to have a lot of fun working on it, and after I get it home, I'll invite everyone over for beer and whatever.
Cheers,
Irv Kostal