Thanks Max Norm and Mowerfreak.
Sorry it has been a while; it takes time for parts to arrive.
No doubt a newer tank and carby would have been the way to go but with the details I had I was not 100% sure that the ones on Ebay would be suitable so I went for the carby gasket. It is a little bit more than what Max mentioned at my local B&S Diamond dealer ($38.95, I was not surprised when he quoted $12.00 for a flywheel key) but I managed to get a non-genuine one off the net for $18.00.
It does not flood anymore and runs smoothly as soon as it starts but still very hard to start (not getting enough fuel now). (I don't feel too bad as an acquaintance who is good on carburetors said, "I Have never had much luck with those") Runs surprisingly well with plenty of power despite the scratched cylinder and the low compression, smokes a bit which is to be expected. Mowed the lawn once and it went so well I did the verge too. One more time and it can go.
Can't see getting rid of it unless someone local wants it as I mentioned earlier it's never going to be a good reliable machine and I would feel guilty offloading it onto someone.
I can't believe how much time and money I have spent on this, mostly time, when all that was wrong with it was my original diagnosis of a faulty capacitor.
Thank you all for your help.
