No, you will not be able to recover the amount you spend on bringing it back to running condition. This is simply because the vehicle is an old model. No one will pay attention or listen to your words that you had work done on the engine. When people buy cars, they have some expectations from the car even if it's an old model. As such, my suggestion is to sell the car, get the best value you can, and go for a car of a later model and in a better condition.
I am posting my comments on first-hand experience as I went through a similar experience a decade back.