I have a 1972 F100 (automatic transmission) that I have been working on and learning from for about a year now. Recently, after starting it at school, it would not go into any gear. I could move the shift handle on the steering column, but the gears were not engaging. It ran fine on the way to school, and it hadn't had any problems recently. I manually put it into gear on the transmission (with the help of a friend) and drove it home. After some investigating, I believe I need to replace the shift tube in the steering column. The linkage to the transmission is fine and changes gears from there. How do I go about replacing the shift tube? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

NOTE: I am writing this for my 18 year old son. He loves this web site and uses it often to get direction and guidance when working on his truck. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and spend most of my time in bed while doing Chemo treatments, so I had the time to register him and make this post. I am very proud of him and his desire to learn from and work on his truck. It ran 'till warm, but died and wouldn't restart when I gave it to him, and he has it running like a charm now! He has learned how to replace the timing chain, the distibuter, and the ignition module to name a few! Unfortunately, he lacks motivation when it comes to asking for help, so I'm helping him out in that arena. Your comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated! Mom