Hi again,
Well My first instinct was correct in thinking that it was the original engine that has had a modernisation to it's look. It was probably sold second hand many years ago through a shop and they wanted to fetch a few more dollars with it looking more up to date than the silver engine which does period date it to the 1960's
Grumpy would probably have scans of the carby break down on file to provide. I do have them myself but they are in a 8 inch thick Briggs & Stratton book which makes it quite hard to scan.
You are pretty much spot on regarding replacement parts for those early carbies, all there is are the basic diaphragms and gaskets etc. You might have to go to a lawnmower shop that has been going for many years as they manage to collect a lot of this older stuff just incase they need it for a repair job themselves. The more modern shops just won't carry that sort of stuff.
I must admit that the photo you've uploaded is a tad hard to comprehensively diagnose, some real close ups of the actual sprockets individually would be much better, but just a quick look tells me that there is normal wear on the cutter sprocket but whether it requires replacement will depend on seeing it in a better shot.
BTW it's good to see someone that wants to do a factory type resto, but everyone does have their own priorities and expectations I guess.
As far as all the actual mower parts are concerned, most of it is still available as spare parts but carby stuff is what writes many of these engines off to scrap.
I have one here that has a totally broken (snapped) carby and as such that's now part of my bone yard.
Hopefully Grumpy will chime in with some visual help here.
Cheers,
BB
