Dirk,
I am sure your buddy knows of theses sites, but if not have him look at:
www.stevesnovasite.com
and
www.novas.net
Great resources. I may have a line on a L-79. PM me and I can give you the particulars. Also, on Steve's site, someone linked one for sale from a Craigslist ad in Texas. Pictures of the motor showed that it definately needed to be restored.
Hope this helps.