David,

Only you can decide if it is worth fixing or not. But, I suggest that if you mean to pay someone to fix it, it is probably not cost effective, and you should consider another car.

Are you sure someone put water glass in the cooling system? The last time I used that was around 1966, and it was considered an old-timers trick then. At that time, it wasn’t even available in the auto parts stores, and I had to get it at a drug store.

If you are going to pull the head yourself, I think a head set is about $50 or $70. Then you have to add it the other stuff you might do while you are at it. Often a valve job is done while the head is off, and that might be around $200 - $300. You might get by without a valve job, but you at least have to see if it is flat and have it milled if it is not. I suppose milling might be around $30.

If you drop this car off at a shop, you might drop around $1000 when you pick it up. That depends upon where you are and who you have to deal with. Maybe not that much.

Charley