-----IT's ALIVE!!-----
Thanks everyone for the help! You're a great bank of knowledge!
So here's what happened so far; I gave it a new battery. I removed the carburetor (not an easy task due to the position of the bolts) and cleaned it. The carb was a real dirty mess.
The float bowl was half full of tar. Carb cleaner, a tooth brush and a lot of persistence got that clean. More carb cleaner with compressed air through the jets and the rest of the carb body, and back on the block it goes.
Next was cleaning the fuel tank and flushing the lines with thinner. I drained the crank and gave it some new 10-30 oil. it was a cold oil change so I'll do it again after it's had a chance to get hot. I pulled the spark plug and put a shot of WD-40 down plug hole. With the spark plug on it's wire but resting on a head bolt, I cranked it. Absolutely no spark. A VOM told me I have 12 volts to the coil but no continuity at the points. I did the dollar bill trick on the points and it worked. With the plug sparking and back in the hole, a shot of ether down the throat (the engine's, not mine LOL), I hit the starter, fiddled with the choke and that beautiful piece of American history came to life. Even the light bulb I had plugged into it lite up. WOW, I love the sound of that engine!
The engine sounds tight and solid but it's surging. The governor is swinging back and forth so I played with the mixture screws. The main jet screw works as it should but the idle jet screw has no effect. I'm guessing I still have some gum in the carburetor. I see Amazon sells carb rebuild kits for that engine as well as some knock-off carbs. Unless you guys have other suggestions, I'll try an after market carb and see if that solves the surge.
Thanks again for the help. I'll keep you up to date--