Jim78

It should start in both P and N. I have found these switches to be prone to corrosion of the contacts. You can carefully bend the tabs to open the switch, polish the contacts and re-assemble. Proper adjustment can be a little fiddly since the switch adjustment must match the gates on the shifter.

What is the recommended lubricant for the "forklift" type steering boxes?

The electric trunk release is listed as a $50 option on the 1978 model.

My '78, RQB 2758, was factory filled with DOT5 silicone fluid. There is a decal on the top of the brake booster warning to use only DOT5. Yours was probably the same. However, there is no guarantee that someone hasn't changed the system to a different fluid. If you are unsure, the best bet is to take a small amount of fluid from the reservoir ans see if it mixes with a sample of DOT5 and not with DOT3 or $.