Thank you for the replies KAA and Tony, much appreciated! We will have a look in Australia to see if we can source the parts - I got it wrong, apparently is it a cylinder head which is beyond repair and our mechanic has searched NZ for a replacement without success. Similarly he cannot find a second hand engine either. The car does mean a lot to my dad so I think we may try to bring it back home, put it under cover and see whether we can find a solution. I don't think we could bear to have it broken up.
Any ideas for starting search for a replacement cylinder head in Australia?
Thanks again!
Bill and Angie