It ended up being a little bit of both- I freed up the shifter, then had to disconnect the linkages and fiddle around with the transmission levers, but all is well now. Thanks for the tips.

This all looks like very helpful information. Thanks. I'll work on it this weekend and report back.

I know this topic probably exists elsewhere on the site, but I can't find the right search combo to get to it...anyway, my 23rd series is stuck in my garage, nose in, in first gear. The shifter is almost completely immobile. I've tried rocking it in gear with the engine running, and without power- nuthin'. Clutch works fine, but the shifter won't budge. Is there some common/regularly-occurring linkage problem that I should look for first?

yes, on plate 32, parts numbers 30.9476 and 31.46093. It is the armrest that is almost part of the door jamb.

Thanks Deli. PM on the way with my number.

Greetings all. I am trying to wrap up a restoration from hell on my 23rd Series Standard (I think?) Eight. It went in to get corrosion in the floor pan fixed, and while it was pulled apart, I decided to replace the groovy red velour interior that had been installed circa 1975. That was about six years ago. The guy working on it has been incapacitated (stroke), so I'm trying to round up the pieces and start again. The interior is a hollow shell, but the seats and panels have been recovered and are awaiting installation. By the way, it is the designated getaway car for my daughter's wedding in June, as it was for me and my wife 30 years ago.
Sooo- does anybody here know where to get the armrest/end cushions (not the ones in the middle) for the back seat? I tried Kanter, but no luck there, and I haven't seen anything in the other online catalogs that cater to Packards. Thanks in advance for any help, and I'm glad the guy at Kanter steered me to this site- it's a great resource.