[FC] unsolved death

[corvanatics@corvair.org]

Here's what happened last night;
My girlfriend drove our '61 Greenbriar to a town about 60 miles away. She 
unloaded her gear, and after a half hour went to move the van. The motor turned 
over but didn't catch (there's a "sweet spot" on the ignition switch). She 
tried again and got nothing; no click from the starter, no dimming of the lights. 
I assumed it was the ignition switch, and after driving there, I tried hot 
wiring it directly from the battery to the starter, and it didn't turn over, 
click, or anything. The previous owners have left a maze of disconnected and 
rerouted wires, so working under the dash at midnight was useless. When we tried to 
push start it (with a powerglide, no less), it wouldn't pop into gear. When I 
put it into "D", nothing happened, it just kept rolling along like it was in 
neutral. I suspected the powerglide or the linkage, and noticed that it was 
very low on tranny fluid. The tranny cable appeared to be moving from the cab 
and not bunching up. There has been a slight burning tranny fluid smell since we 
got the van, but no unusual stains underneath it. If it was stuck in gear, I 
don't think it would roll so easy, and it did turn over the first time she 
tried to start it, so where ever the switch is that says it's in neutral so the 
ignition will work was OK the first time. It had plenty of battery, but I 
didn't try jump starting it. Previously, the motor would turn over and catch within 
just a second or two, and it ran like a champ.

Does anyone have a tip as to where to look for the problem?