New to this site, I just purchased a 72 Ford F250 Highboy that was in the middle of a frame off restoration. I thought a lot more of it had been completed then I actually found out after buying the truck, as usual. The previous owner for lack of better words half-assed everything on the truck. I don't think he understood how to tighten the bolt, to be blunt. So I am having to go through the entire truck and tighten things down and figure out what he did or didn't do.

My biggest issue right now is that the steering column shifter to transmission linkage was very loose and it was very difficult to get it into Park it always wanted to pop into reverse. I decided to take it to a shop of some guys I grew up with that our gurus with old vehicles like these and have them take a look at it but when I went to back it out of the driveway to drive it over there when I went to put it in drive nothing happened the engine just revved so I tried shifting gears no reverse no forward gears at all so obviously something came loose between the steering column and the transmission. I got underneath it and could manually shift through all the gears at the transmission but it was not engaging the drive shaft. My mother came over and she looked underneath it while I was in the vehicle with it running and said the drive shaft was turning when I was giving it gas but it wasn't moving or doing anything so I believe I have something broke Free inside of the transmission. I believe it is a C6 and I've had several people tell me that they had shifter linkage problems some of them has minor as just a $1.50 cotter pin that comes loose. Any help needed it's in the shop now I'm sure they'll figure it out but I love forms like this because there are others that have been through the same problem and you can save a whole lot of time by just asking someone who knows...

 

How are the grommet's condition which are at each joint and remaining joints on the linkage? There's should also be an adjustment for the linkage which could be loose or just out of adjustment.

 

She/your Mom, said the driveshaft was fully rotating? But the truck wasn't moving?

 

Yes she said the drive shaft was rotating but the truck wasn't moving. That's why I think something broke free inside the transmission to spite the fact that the linkage all the way up to the steering column is very sloppy.

 

I believe there may be a communication problem .

The driveshaft moves because the trans is causing it to move.
Not sure if a high boy is 4WD, which if it is , maybe transfer case problem, if no 4WD , differential problem ?

Are we getting accurate info?

 

It is a four-wheel drive so it could possibly be a transfer case issue and also an issue with the sloppy shift linkage. I was thinking the same thing I couldn't get under it to look to see the drive shaft I'm just going by what my mom said. But it's in the shop now they'll figure it out. I'm going to drop by in a couple of hours and see how they're doing and whether or not they've diagnosed it yet.

 

Since it is 4WD, there is a good possibility the transfer case is stuck in the middle of hi and low positions.

Sometimes the transfer case doesn't complete the shift and hangs up in neutral. That could be verified by checking the motor that effects the shift , if it is electric.
If not, something inside may be broken preventing a complete shift.A broken chain can do this.

 

You hit the nail right on the head almost, I stopped by the shop today to see if they found out what was wrong with it and I'm extremely embarrassed to say that somehow the transfer case slipped into neutral and all they had to do was put it back into gear. Nothing is broken. They also tightened up the sloppy column shift lever apparently the previous owner hooked it up wrong to the transmission that's why it was so sloppy. So it's all fixed now. I don't remember knocking that four-wheel drive gear shift lever had any time but one of the other guys at the shop said sometimes those old trucks just pop themselves into neutral.

 

Sometimes it pays to try different things like trying low range and hi range with the transfer case and that way you would immediately notice if the lever was out of place.

Of course the owner's manual would be a good place to start. You are not the only one to overlook this situation.