Hi Gary -
It was in fact, the linkage after all.
I don't know the name of the part, but it's a rod that goes from a hole in the safety switch to another hole in part of the gear shift linkage. This rod came dislodged, I believe when I raised the transmission. In order to put that rod back in place I needed to disconnect a few bolts to the linkage. Not too difficult.
However, everything seems out of whack at the moment with regard to the gears. It does crank in Park, but will not crank in Neutral. I'll have to play with it a bit to get it right, but I don't think it is any big deal.
I think that if I get it into neutral and make adjustments on the safety switch, I can get it to work correctly.
Isd that the way to go, or do you have another suggestion?
Thanks!!
Steve
Steven A. Gauvry - 1985 F150 5.0 EFI