:welcome: aboard Jimmy. Great to have a new member join us...
I have no idea what your tiller handle looks like, so maybe you could post a picture or three for us to see. Is it actually broken or just in a position that you can't get to work? I tried to look up a 1980 Mercury 40 HP engine with a tilt setup, but that is merely guess work because of the various models. So post some pictures so we can offer good ideas and suggestions. JMHO