I think you will enjoy your Skutt 181. That's an interesting old kiln. One can learn a lot from firing a manual kiln.
Your 181 might not need new elements. Check the elements with an ohmmeter. If they're okay, shrink them back into the grooves. Here is a video that shows how:
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA