Re: 1954 12hp sea king
Hi....
12 HP is a pretty good sized motor for its day...and the recoil starters used back then weren't famous for making things easy. Well; sort of easy compared to wrapping a rope around the flywheel I guess.
If your motor turns over smoothly and quietly with the spark plugs removed...then I think it just is what it is.
As for greasing things....anything that moves should have some lube on it. Throttle linkage, tilt mechanism and the like. The lower unit needs either grease or gear oil; I'm not sure which.
Chuck