You might want to call your state building codes division and find out who your local elevator inspector is and schedule an appointment with him/her (see that political correctness there) to find out the status and history of your elevator conveyance. He/she (there it is again) might be able to advise you on how to get your elevator back up and running. Just a heads up, I love working on old Otis cars and getting them back up and going again. There could be nothing wrong with it or it could take hours and hours to fix it. Company's depending on locations (West Coast) are charging $400 - $600 an hour for 1 licensed elevator mechanic. You are taking a big safety risk for yourself and others if you choose to work on your elevator with personnel other than licenced elevator mechanics. I hope this was helpful. Keep us posted on how it all turns out. Would love to see some more photos of your elevator.