Crap, car won't start, ignition switch??

[brikut]

So its a 71 Barracuda with a 318 (maybe the last one with a 318), anyway,  it gave me a scare a few days ago as it would not start.  I poked around under the hood, tried it again and it started right up, drove it around for about 30 minutes, no problems.    So yesterday I try again, seemed like it was going to start, starter was trying, then nothing.   I did hear a click and I know people ask about the click but it only clicked once.   Later attempts, absolutely nothing.  Battery was recently charged and reads 12 volts.   No lights, no radio, but the engine oil light is showing a little bit of light.   The ignition switch on the car does have a problem, for the last 10 years or so it only starts in neutral not park.   Well, sometimes it will start in park but not often.       I apologize for the long description and I know,  I've owned this car long enough, I should be better able to diagnose its problems, but just wondering if anyone would have any thoughts on this.   Is it the ignition switch?  How hard is this to replace? 
Thanks!
-Brian

[FY1Cuda]

Use a screwdriver to cross the two big screws on the starter relay (on the left inner fender, aft of the battery) and see if the starter cranks.  If the battery is good, it should crank.  You can run the engine by "hot wiring" the car with a wire from the positive side of the battery to the single-wire side of the ballast resistor. This will completely bypass any wiring problems you have in the ignition switch or inside the car.  Be sure to do this in park or neutral.

[brikut]

Thanks,
I will give this a try tomorrow.  (Might have to get more clarification on the ballast resistor trick)   After reading past threads on replacing the ignition switch, I am hoping that isn't the problem. 

[FY1Cuda]

One more suggestion: since you're having other electrical issues inside the car, you might want to bypass the ammeter in the dash by taking the two wires off of it (the red and black ones) and simply attaching them together with a small nut and screw.  So many of these ammeters can short out or have loose connections which affect other things under the dash.  If there is no difference, then you can eliminate the ammeter as one source of your problem.  The ballast resistor is the white ceramic thing on the firewall by the wiper motor.

[71chally416]

Sounds to me like something is loose. Maybe a battery terminal isn't making good contact, maybe the main wire to the starter or solenoid or a ground is loose. 

[73Chally]

Sounds more like a bad ground or wiring/battery problem.

[hemiken]

Could even be in the neutral safety switch if it is not sitting in the right spot the igmition will do nothing as you stated it starts in neutral and park sometimes. maybe.

[Chryco Psycho]

the bulkhead or column plugs could be corroded as well

[Ford.P51]

I vote for neutral/safety switch like hemiken said. If it normally starts in neutral and not in park, there is definately a problem there. Could even be tranny linkage needs an adjustment.

[RaptorF229]

The tranny linkage seems to be the culprit on it not starting in park. My car did that to me after I swapped out my converter last month. Quick adjustment and good to go.

[ViperMan]

Get the battery tested.  Just because you charged it doesn't mean it held the charge.  I agree that there might be problems at various connections, but batteries can be weird sometimes - their symptoms don't always follow the same patterns and they can be unpredictable.

Just my 

[brikut]

Thanks everyone for all the input.   It was the battery connection after all, +clamp just not tight enough.   Started right up after that.    How embarrassing!    I will have to think about a new ignition switch at some point as it's becoming an annoyance.  Anyway,  Thanks again!
-Brian

[ViperMan]

 

Yay!

Don't you love it when it's an easy fix like that?

Jeff

[71chally416]

Maybe a battery terminal isn't making good contact

You're Welcome....    (The "it only clicked once" gave it away)