TOPIC: '72 Evinrude 65 parting

I came into possession of a 1972 65hp rude that I want to part out. The next few days I'm going to attempt to run it but was assured it did run RIIIIIIGHT!
No controls but the wire run is on it with bare ends where the controls were so I'll have to do some manual shifting by shorting out some wires
Engine is complete sans hood and lower leg cowl.
Gotta build a stand to hang it on first. Anyone interested give me a shout but right now I know nothing about run ability or shifting. Once I test it out I'll post it in glassifieds.

Ran into a conundrum this evening. Started working on the model 65esl-72. it's missing the rod that connects to the spark advance.
And missing the rod or whatever is on the front of the carb setup to adjust them.
But the good news is compression in all three cyls is 123 across the board.
Hot and heavy spark on all three plugs.
Hydro electric shift works perfect but don't know if the lower leaks, oil was clear.
Notice how a cheater checks the shifter
Missing the lower cowl and have the wrong hood which is pretty beat up but repairable.
And finally the entire engine.
Now the conundrum is that I was going to part it out. Now I know that all the essentials are in place I wondering if this is a winter project instead. There are no controls or ignition which makes for some interesting wiring solutions. I do not want to spend any money on this thing so I just might hot rod it unless someone comes up with an offer I can't refuse.

You will need a set of controls with a big YELLOW plug.

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That was only used on the 71 and 72 50 hp models and on your 72 65 hp .

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Not that easy to find in many areas.

Thanks Prof. I do have the yellow plug, just attached the black one to see if it would work, it didn't. The yellow one has the complete wire set but was cut off at the control end so it's all blank wires. thank goodness for color codes. I have a Clymer book with the schematics but I will be tracing all the wires one by one to make sure they go where the say they should. For now it is just good to know the compression, power pack and coils are good. I'll be picking up a generic ignition switch this week from the farm store (for the magneto shutoff). The rest of the wires should be acc., choke, warning etc. and shifting. Wire linkages are easy fixes. The next big test will be fuel. Cooling and impeller are a given change without even looking at it. I'll push a garden hose up it's butt for now just to see if she fires up.
Anyone know what the length of the spark advance link should be? I can make one up but don't know the initial measurement.
Thanks