

My sewing expert tells me the slider on the right side the front of the machine controls the stitch length and should be all the way down to set it to maximum. The knobs on the top control zig zag and should probably be all the way left for a straight stitch. If that doesn’t get what you want this machine probably can’t do it.
As far as what it is: that’s a good mystery. It looks like one of machines to come out of the post-WWII Japanese industry. If so, getting info on it will be a challenge.
Re-engineering it sounds like a fun project but who can say how long that will take you before you’re back on your project. You could probably stitch whatever by hand in less time than it would take to disassemble that machine, fabricate a new part and reassemble it
I’d also add that re-engineering this is not impossible but these things are pretty much the pinnacle of engineering innovation from before the use of electronic controls. To redesign it you’ll probably end up having to relearn all of the genius that went into its design by trial and error.