My wife has a 1981 Lincoln Mark VI that I have been storing for 20 some years. Now She gives to our daughter and it will not move. The engine runs good and the car squats down but does not move. Yes the brakes are off. What do we do now?
Probably, one or more brake pads are stuck to the rotor after 20 years. Or, if the emergency brake was applied for those 20 years, it is very likely that the e-brake is not releasing.
Have you tried to move it in reverse? The emergency brake will not hold the car as firmly in reverse as it will in a forward gear, so I would suggest that you try moving it in reverse to see what happens.
Try rocking it gently forward and backwards to release the e-brake, like VDC says. With the motor off and wheels blocked and e-brake released, from below the car you might try jerking the e-brake cable housing around since any movement will tend to free up the cable. You might just call the shop and have it towed directly there instead of trying to drive it first! After 20 years, this definitely needs to be checked over and brakes are first, right? You are going to have a shop check this puppy out, right? Right, that’s what I figured.
By squats down, do you mean that the transmission is definitely engaging?
If you jack it up, will the wheel spin? I would try each, until you see what isn’t turning. That is a rear wheel drive, so the front wheels should spin and one of the back ones should. You might have a better idea then.
Get that wreck to the junkyard before it kills some poor person. It isn’t really worth fixing or driving. We have to make some tough decisions now and then. This is the best kind of advice that I can give. The car is about to start costing a fortune to keep it running.