I have the 158.17560 -- I bought it in 1972 or 1973!!! Mine has the 1.2 amp motor. It's a very HEAVY machine --- but that's good. It means the parts are all metal. To me, that makes it a winner. Your's is an earlier number and I believe it would be as good as this one. This one has gone 10000000s of miles and has been NO problem! My GF bought one right after me because she liked mine so well. It had an A after the model #......it wasn't the same! Seems from about that point on they used plastic in the mechanisms and it was a piece of junk!!!! For $80. WITH the cabinet, it's a steal in my book. Oh -- even though I bought one with all the bells and whistles, I still pull the Kenmore out to sew heavy stuff like denim and vinyl. It's a real workhorse.
I hope this helped!
dee