The books say if it is duncked in saltwater to tear it completley apart. Like was said the culpert is the salt that got inside the motor.

The main problem would be salt in the bearings.

However if you want to chance it, you could possibly run the heck out of it in a tank with a double richness of oil mix. You would need to coat the bearings with oil. I would think 5 or 6 hours. Then do it again in a couple of days, then again in a few more. The real problem would be just letting it set. Run it often & hope for the best.

The age/value of the motor as compared to the value of having a mechanic tear it apart just to clean it would in my book could be too costly.

Another thing to look at would be all the leectrical connectors in the black couplers about the size of your finger. If these are not cleaned & washed down with a contact cleaner, they could corrode & then you ignition/coils/power pack are goign top short out or have insufficient connections. This relates to troubleshooting problems.

That year of motor does not have points, it has electronic ignition.

I recovered an identical motor that my son-in-law lost at Riffe Lake last year when some kids tried to steal it & left it just setting on the transom. It took 2 weeks & 8 tanks of diving air to recover it. I had to tear the carb apart, clean the connections & run it for 6 hours before it settled down.