Well. She's up and running. I ended up drilling and cutting a thread in the epoxy steel and the oil-fill tube is firmly held in place with epoxy to the cowling and gasket maker goop to the base where it connects to the block. Then I can finish fine tuning the carby when I get the new muffler on her (the old one was rusted out and buggered). In the meantime the rest of the ride-on needs some TLC. Couple of zip-ties fixed the clutch-switch in place as the plastic clip is busted, but the paint is peeling off the frame in a number of places. If I had the time I'd strip the whole frame back and re-paint it, but with 5 kids good luck. The deck is missing a section of steel along the front edge so I'll need to weld a strap in place (although it doesn't really hurt when used as a slasher). I've got new clutch-brakes to install, and the disc-boss needs attention as one of the flanges has cracked off, so I'll try just grinding them both flat to match to keep it in balance for now. The steering is somewhat stiff, so the bushes are probably cracked.
She's looking a hell of a lot better already tho now that I've de-crappified her from all the grease, oil and debris
