The OP's machine looks just like my 117.812. I have two of them - one of them is in beautiful shape cosmetically, but was missing the stop screw on the stitch length regulator and the wiring on the light needs to be replaced.
After looking for a replacement part for a while, I found another 81 on eBay that was in rough shape, but cheap, and had the parts that I needed, so I bought that. I haven't had a chance to get it repaired yet, but my 95 sews beautifully and I'm fairly certain the 81 will too.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]524525[/ATTACH] This is Barney Rubble, still minus his stop screw.
One of the things that I like about him is that, compared to my other machines, he's so light. Only weighs about 19 pounds, so this is the one that I'll probably take when I want to take a machine somewhere.