[AT] Somewhat OT: White GT problem

[The Allen Family]

My question is about a GT, but it's really a small engine problem, and 
I know that there is scads of experience with them here, 'way more than 
I have!

I recently got hold of a '95 White L-12 GT; it's a fairly lgiht duty 
yard mower with an 11.5 HP, one-cylinder B&S.  It has a side-draft carb 
on it remarkably similar (outside, anyway) to the MS carbs on old JDs. 

The thing sat for a number of years unused before I got it.  When I 
first tried firing it up, it wasn't getting fuel, so I pulled the fuel 
bowl off the carb and freed up the float by hand.  Then, it got 
fuel--too much, in fact, for it ran very rich.  I used it for 4 or 5 
hours hoping the fuel flowing through the carb would clean it out some. 
  Then it was down for a week or so needing a new belt. 

Last night (after putting the new belt on), I cranked it up again 
(having added wome Sea Foam to the gas), and it ran for a few minutes, 
and then something really funny happened.  There is what appears to be 
a PCV tube in the bottom of the air-cleaner, and  either oily gas or 
gas-diluted oil came spouting out of that PCV tube.  I shut it down 
quick, but it really coated the top of the motor, the sheet metal, and 
me before I could. 

I am pretty sure I need to pull the carb--ya think?--but I'd like some 
infomred opinions on what I can expect to find and whether something 
else might be contributing.  I pulled the oil dipstick, and I don't 
think I smelled gas in the oil, but given the gass all over the place, 
I might not have caught it.  One other point:  to change the belt, I 
had to tip the thing up on its back end.  Could I have caused the 
problem thus?

Any thoughts would be appreciated, gents!

Thanks!

The "original" Steve Allen