It sounds like the stomp start mechanism needs a little attention from a BFH, and possibly a torch. It's a pretty primitive system, so just get rowdy with it and make it fit.
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!