seems odd that this wont run at all, we did a one litre corsa the other day that had skipped on cam chain, when we took off the rocker cover it was filthy inside, emulsified oil, even though we cleaned it all out (and sorted the exploded tensioner ect) the cam sensor was still plastered in the stuff and it would hardly start or rev, just one bolt gets the sensor out, a wipe with a rag was all that was required.
Got to be worth a look!
All the best, Fill.