William
Just a thing or two.
Get off the WD-40 thing. Use mineral spirits. Buy a gallon of the
stuff.
Do as others mentioned-get it inside and warmed up. A stiff wire brush
on a drill motor will do wonders for the tube where the tailstock
plunger goes back in. Or better still a brass wire brush.
Clean up the whole thing. It will give you a lot of familiarity with
your lathe that few enjoy.
And finally clean up the wiring mess.
Bob AZ