Since the last post on the bent/squished snowblower, I put the frame/chassis back together, re-installed the engine,and had a friend sit on the chassis while I put a jack handle over the handlebar mounts and bent them back to where they ought to be.
This evening I set out to bend back the handlebars, which were pretty well mangled.
With judicious use of the vice, hammer, anvil, and carefully applied brute force, I somehow managed to get the bars straight again (or at least very close to it). They were twisted, bent, and all sorts of other bad ways to be.
This enabled the handles and controls to be reconnected.
This means the next step will be un-kinking the chute, which may be a bit tricky since it’s pretty springy. Then, after a general tune-up on the engine and replacing a broken shear pin, it should be good to go.