You might need to re-size and/or compress your images to get them below 2MB each.  If you don’t know how to do that you could try asking a friend or family member.  It’s an easy process  (if you know how!) and pretty typical for preparing images for most forums like this.

I’d probably set the thing in a plastic container and cover with some Evaporust or Metal Rescue and let it soak for a day or two.   That should clean it up pretty well.   You can use a modern day starter rope of comparable diameter.    Don’t use some nylon rope from the hardware store – get some real starter rope from a lawn mower or small engine shop.   I ordered a spool of Stens blue starter rope for my outboard restoration projects – it works great.