Haha we're on the same page as far as a shut off valve is concerned. I went to the hardware store the other day to try and find something suitable to use, but couldn't find anything that would work without spending more on numerous adapter fittings than I would spend by just buying a regular old fuel pepcock.
I have the carb that came off the old engine, so I may just clean it out and swap it on there to see what happens. It was a brand new replacement installed just before the previous owners roached the final drive bearings by running it with no oil. His logic was that since it was shipped with no oil in there, it didn't need it
