G-day tomkatoz,
that looks like a beautiful original example, except for the zip starter in lieu of the wind up type, and while you can swap with any full crank engine up to about 1983, I think it could be the notoriously problematic G2 carb that's the problem. Most were swapped for the much better G3. I suggest you look into trying that option first.
What a beauty.
Last edited by Mowerfreak; 05/09/22 05:59 PM.