Thanks for all the info! DH is going to take motor apart and give it a good cleaning...hopefully this coming weekend. He said the brushes and armature look good from what he can see, so fingers crossed it just needs a good cleaning.
Mickey2: I gently cleaned the machine using mild dish detergent and water and dried it well. Looks great. Some minor dings, but seeing how old she is, nothing horrendous! Decals are all intact. Machine actually looks barely used or extremely well cared for. Got her for $75 at auction, so I am doing the happy dance. I will keep in mind the car polish and chrome polish (I always use Simachrome - used it on my motorcycle chrome).