Im about to restore this engine but Ive read that its best to keep the original decals?
Being a '70's model,its not going to be worth a lot and I would like to run it as well.
opinions?
Very common engine so I'd complete resto with new decals.
Slash a perfect candidate for a restoration project.
Another vote for complete restoration with quality repro decal.
And take plenty of pics along the way
Great little engines and good runners, I like the overtypes like this for their small footprint and easy storage.
If you plan to operate it extensively, a total restoration made to look like new may be a bit self defeating, as it will soon be looking rather used again. A good clean-up and restoration to sound operational condition may be all you really need to do, so what's left of the old decal may be all that's needed until you decide otherwise.
You can always do a total resto later, after putting some miles on it, if that's what you finally decide you really want.