Hi all. I am seeking the shift linkage for my 68. It is bolted to the body and the rod sits in a bushing. The rod goes across to the tranny shifter Linkage. The one I have does not have a bushing and my car starts in reverse even though the gear shift on the steering column is completely up in the park position.
Sounds to me like you've got 2 problems.
1. You're missing the bushing.
2. Your neutral safety switch on the column is either out of adjustment or is no longer working. The same switch runs the back-up lights.
I won't be able to get to it today, but I should be able to provide a photo of the linkage (including the bushing).
1st photo shows the entire setup, including the bracket that bolts to the frame, the rod from the column, and the rod to the transmission lever. The bracket has a concave spot in it, and the bushing being referred to sits in it.
2nd photo is a close up of the bushing. I can't seem to get it off the rod, but it might just be there's too much grime buildup on the rod. I suspect a good cleaning of the rod and the bushing will slide off.
This setup was removed from a 69 2+2 that I used the chassis under my 70 Parisienne. Even though it was a floor shift car, being a 69 it had the linkage back to the locking column.