[MacQuigley]

I think your spot on John. I started to look at it last night and the first thing I noticed was that I could freely turn the shaft by hand while in neutral which meant it wasnt in any gear. I grabbed a welding glove and, carefully, tried to stop it by hand and was able to do so with little effort.

I knew this was a fact on an auto but Id never experienced it in a manual before but as they say every day is a school day.

I also figured out why I couldnt get it into neutral. Basically the bracket Id made to extend the shifter level was 1/8" of an inch too long and was contacting the inner body of the shifter mech preventing the lever moving over far enough to the left. An angle grinder and a cutting disc sorted that easily enough.

So just got the propshaft to collect today and fit tonight, then one final bleed and adjustment of the brakes and I should be able to move the old truck under its own steam for the first time since I got her