Have ya ever saw a 4 on the tree ?

I was told a friend of mine has a late sixtys chevy van with a four speed transmission and the shifter is on the steering column,,,,,

I have seen this van and he ain't driving it anymore,but have never had any interest in it until now,,,,,,,,

Is this B.S. or did chevy offer something like this as a optionHRP

 

ive heard of switching a 3 on the tree to a 4 speed and then having reverse on the floor somewere but never as a factory option?

 

Mercedes Benz used to have them. Had a buddy that had a late 50's Benz with a four speed column shift. Never heard of a domestic with it.

 

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Mercedes Benz used to have them. Had a buddy that had a late 50's Benz with a four speed column shift. Never heard of a domestic with it.

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My grandparents had a '59 Benz with a column-shift four-speed but it was a clutchless manual (electric clutch that activated when you moved the shifter). Fab32 mentioned some sixties Chevy trucks with column-shift four-speeds but when I dared suggest a thing on Chevytalk.org they laughed me out of the forum.

I still suspect they exist. Fat Hack mentioned a Japanese truck make that had a column-shift five-speed and right-hand-drive!

 

1950's Auto Union (Audi) had a manual 4 speed on the dash.

The car looked simular to 55-57 T-Bird on the outside but it had a small rear seat.

http://www.dyna.co.za/cars/DKW_1000Sp_Red_fs.jpg

The car featured front wheel drive with a 3 cylinder 2 stroke engine!

Mark

 

<font color="green"> A HAMBer did a sorta tech week type post on this awhile back. Within the last year or so. It was a conversion though, not a factory thing. Don't remember who or when exactly but it was a pretty thorough walk through I think. Had forward gears on the column and a lever under the dash for reverse. </font>

 

Hell Yeah, I drove one all over the LA area about uh, 30 years ago. It was a Chevy van and used the saginaw 4 speed. Thats about all I remember.

 

Some early 60's toyotas had 4 on the tree.

DetroitDraggin has a 4 on the tree in his shoebox and a revers lever on the floor.

 

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Hell Yeah, I drove one all over the LA area about uh, 30 years ago. It was a Chevy van and used the saginaw 4 speed. Thats about all I remember.

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Was reverse on the column too?HRP

 

Pretty sure some of the Jap Vans use 5 on the tree, kinda interesting when you look at all the 5speed toyota conversions here..... some kinda 50-60's crusier with 5 on the tree

 

Back when they usta be called Datsons, in the early 60's I drove a Datson 1/2 ton for the place I worked, it had a 4 speed on the tree. The reverse was also on the tree. It was a fun truck to drive. This was late 61, right after I got outa high school.Lotsa 2nd gear rubber, and cool chicks.--TV

 

Wife has 2 1968 SAAB sport wagons, V4 Ford 4 on the tree.........OLDBEET

 

Yup, and my old Taunus 17M in back in Europe had 4 on the tree. Metric tree mind you !

Off topic, but...Does anyone remember the movie "Driver" with Ryan O'Neal? ... and the only car chase I have ever seen using a column mounted shifter ! O'boy would that be hard on the linkage

 

One of the guys at work has an early [1969, I believe] chevy van with the saginaw 4 speed and a column shift....all torn apart! He wants me to go over and put it all back together for him.
I told him it's gonna cost him..

 

There's a guy on here with a shoebox that made his own 4 on the tree..
I can't remember who it was though..
He joined a while ago.....it was a kickass car to boot!

 

When i was in high school in 67 the ford dealer had a used econoline van , the long version, their was a 300 inch straight 6 in it and it had a 4 speed on the tree. i though about buying it but it was an ex- cleaning van and the floor was wasted.

 

Did that to my 66 Belair 4 door years ago.
I broke the 3 speed and all I had laying around was a saginaw 4 speed.
4 on the tree and a little reverser coming through the floor.

 

Cheap-n-Dirty beat me to it. There was a post here about this some time ago... and they were talking about Econolines. A dude at work was talking about one he had too. Must be the day for it or something.

Jay

 

My aunt had a German Ford called a Vauxhal (sp?)that was a 4 spd. on the tree. In the late 60's I drove a fueloil delivery truck. It was a cabover eng.model 1800 International Loadstar. Not only was it a 5 Speed on the tree ,it had a 2 speed rear. It was butt ugly,but that sucker would darn near fly.

Chuck Fish

 

I wanted to keep the shifter on the tree and but didn't wanna use a 3-speed,,,,,,,so I was gonna make it into an automatic.

But,Damn....the idea of a four speed has got a good feel to it!,,,,,,,,, HRP

 

chuck, by the sounds of that German Ford it woulda been an English GM product...... Vauxhal = GM UK, Opel = GM Germany.
Ford seems to be the same in any language

 

[ QUOTE ]
There's a guy on here with a shoebox that made his own 4 on the tree..
I can't remember who it was though..
He joined a while ago.....it was a kickass car to boot!

[/ QUOTE ]

That was John St.Germain(sp) from Canada. Coral &amp; Black chopped 50 Ford. He posted a few times &amp; did a tech on the shifter then he just disappeared. I bet it's been a year since he was on here. I even forgot his username. Oh well.

Billy

 

How about a '36 Cord?

 

German Ford = Taunus.
And most cars from anywhere other than the USA had some form a column shifter, and most were four speeds, as you needed the extra gears with the tiny engines that are common.
That said, I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a domestic (USA) four speed column shirt. But the technology existed.

 

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That said, I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a domestic (USA) four speed column shift. But the technology existed.

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Thats funny ,,,,,,,,,,sounds like the United States Air Force and project Blue Book!! HRP

 

Early 60's Fiat 1100d model 4 dr. sedan had a four on the tree. Tell ya what, when they came up with the name Fiat it was actually an acronym for Fix It Again Tony as they were a real piece of junk car. The inspection plate for the transmission was on the top of the gearbox. However, there was no access plate on the floorboard. So to get at the gears you had to drop the drive shaft and pull out the transmission. Brilliant!!

 

<font color="purple"> My old Datsuns have 4 on the tree. For reverse you put in neutral, pull out and drop down. </font>

 

I knew a guy that lived about 4 blocks from me that used to rally race an he had a chevy conversion camper van for a tow vehichle with a 4 spd on the column. My recollection is that it was a Muncie transmission not a Saginaw. He drove that thing all over the US and Canada racing and slept in it while out on the road.

Frank

 

lots of english fords were 4 speed column change.Cortinas from 62-70 also mk 3 and 4 zephyrs.

 

Yep, 4-speeds on the column definitely existed as evidenced by all the replies. I drove both a Peugeot and a Simca with such a device once and have been cursed ever since. What pieces of crap. I am convinced that every car I have driven since then has suffered from residue from those French abortions. Yeeeeeeech!