History Are there any "three on the tree" lovers out there?

There is something about the three on the tree that is so cool to me. I always wanted a 55-64 Chevy with a small block and a three on the tree shifter. My favorite would be the 63 Chevy Impala, Bel-Air or Biscayne with a 327/283 and a three on the tree, dark blue with black interior..
I know there not fast race cars and all that but there so nice cruising the city streets.

 

I like "em cause there old school like me.Have 3 on the tree O.D. in my 55 Cameo.Smooth shifter.I had one in a 55 210 in high school.The linkage would lock up,and I would pull over,and pop the hood,and break the levers on the colunm loose.My dad had a column shift in a 65 Ranchero.Shifter was cheap cast aluminum with a long tube as I recall.It broke a lot,and as a kid I got good at replacing it.

 

It’s fun and easy
I did enjoy driving my 50 Chevy and 53 Chrysler with the “stick” hanging off the column.

Not a race car but different and fun kinda a cross between driving a car and a motorcycle to me.

 

Our Nomad still has the stock 348 with a 3spd on the the column. It will never change as long as we own it.

 

.If its not a drag car I an Ok with a three on a tree

 

I'd like to do a 4 speed on the column.
Maybe a using the H from the three speed and a reverse lever on the floor or do a 4 speed pattern on the column.

 

A three on the tree,
is alright with me!
I have a 50 fleetline and a 50 ford that both still have!

 

Yes, 3sp+od column shift Saginaw/Borg-Warner in a '49 1/2 ton Chevy. Between the floor starter, 3 speed column shifter, overdrive lock-out, pretty much theft proof.

 

My '57 Pontiac is three on the tree with a tri power 347 under the hood
There were very few '57 Pontiacs built with the "standard" transmission, like less than two percent of all of the production! It's also a great anti theft device!
KK

 

Nothing better than a well adjusted three on the tree.

 

the shifter on the Hudson has a set screw that holds the lever still on the shaft, it keeps getting loose.... But fortunately with 4.56 gears (and OD) you can start in 2nd, so it's not that big of a deal.

The Edsel had a really nice, solid, smooth column shifter. It was fun to drive.

 

No love lost , the last 3 on the tree went the way of the dodo bird, I replaced the tranny with a 5 speed, a whole lot more fun and I never stack the gears when speed shifting HRP

 

I always loved a column shift 3 speed, especially if coupled with overdrive. I have owned several over the years and would be happy to have another.

 

I have a 41 pickup column connected to a Saginaw 3 speed in my '40. Looking forward to shifting it next year. It makes extra space it those small PU cabs.

 

Years ago I had a 32 coupe I put a column shift in. After awhile the fad was to move the shifter to the left side of the column. It had a reverse upside down pattern then. After some more time I figured how to convert it to standard pattern on the left. I changed back and forth to a floor shift several times in that car over the years.

 

I'm a tree lover.. Does that count???

 

60"s Mercedes Benz had a 4spd column shift.

 

Yep. Had everything from a 55 Chevy to a 65 Wildcat with 3 on the tree. Still got a 49 Ford with it. Always liked 'em, except when my 55's jammed up one day, I rolled into the intersection and couldn't get it unjammed, and I got T-boned, killing my 55. I was 16 with a fresh drivers license. Can't really blame the linkage, the whole car was a total piece of shit.

 

My first car was a 1956 Plymouth with three on the tree. My dad engineered a 354 Chrysler hemi into the car and retained that setup. I won a few races with it. The sloppiness in the linkage allowed easy speed shifting between first and second.

 

The shifter on the column was considered to be more modern and an improvement from the old floor mounted shifters. I'm not sure I remember... what was the main reason for it?... I think just to get the shifter up out of the way. And now your honey could scoot over close to you and you could still shift.

Of course, then they went back to the performance floor shifters.
Careful of the shifter, hon.


Sent from my VS835 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

And now the column shifters seem old and archaic.
Oh yeah... they are.
And that's why we like 'em.

Sent from my VS835 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I had a '61 Citroen ID19 that had a 4 speed column shift. A whole lot of unique features on that car...

 

I’m probably the youngest guy on here(45) that loves his three on the tree. I learned to drive on it and in a couple of weeks I’ll take my nine year old son to his first day of forth grade in it. As soon as his legs are long enough (not long) I will teach him how to drive it.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

It can be done without a 2nd lever for reverse. If your existing column has an external shifter "rail/shaft" Use a column from a 4 speed 65 chevy van



On cars with a shifter "tube" around the steering shaft inside the column , It can be modified to add a 3rd shifter linkage.
This is a RHD 55 Chevy column that has been modified [I believe it's in NZ]



Back to the original subject.
My Husband said Column Shifts are complimentary with "Bench Seats" and "Cruising"
With the Driver on the left, his Gal in the centre, and his Wing Man on the right
[I think he's bullshitting me because he gets to drive my Chevy, and I struggle with column shift]

 

I've had a couple of them and even have one now in my 61 Dodge. I would trade it for an automatic in a heartbeat

 

Three on the tree or four on the floor, fifth under the seat.

 

303 Olds with '48 ford open drive 3 on the tree in my'34 three window.

 

Years ago a buddy of mine bought a 56 chevy with a three speed on the tree and wanted me to drive it about 4 hours back to his house from where he bought it while he followed me in his truck. I had a 4 speed in my daily driver Mustang and every time I hit the clutch in the chevy I kept reaching down to shift on the floor. It was a long way home that day.

 

My dad's 66 Fairlane convertible had a 3 on the tree with the straight six. I got the car when I was 17 and promptly got rid of it. In 3rd the shift lever was in the way of my knee. It didn't help that I was also 6'-4".

 

Never been a real big fan of the 3 on the tree even though I've owned a lot of them over the years. I wonder what the last year was they put them in a vehicle? The newest one I can recollect owning was an OT 1974 Chevy C10 pickup that had a 250 I6. The oldest I can remember is my 1941 Chevy 2 door sedan. I still have a few other cars sitting around here with 3 on the tree.