Features When Three was on the Tree...

I remember back in 1976 taking Driver’s Ed in high school. It was taught by one of the assistant football coaches. I had it during 4th period which meant that on days we drove we ran errands for the coach and got to go out to eat. Anyway, back to the three on the tree topic. Before we got to get in an actual car we practiced in the “Driver Simulator”. It was a trailer with several driver stations inside that had a seat, dash, steering column and brake and gas pedals. Up front was a screen that simulated the road. I discovered that if you reached up under the dash there was a third pedal that you could pull down and the automatic shifter became a three on the tree. The simulator wasn’t like one of today’s video games. We all had to follow the road at the same leisurely pace but you could hear me all through the trailer banging out shifts and stomping the gas pedal.

 

My grandpa taught me how to drive his '50 Chevy pickup when I was 6 years old in 1951. He had me mastering the 3 on thee tree out in his farm fields where I wouldn't be running into anything.

Frank

 

I recently saw an add for a '77 Nova with a 250 CI six and three on the tree, don't know if that was the last of them, but must be pretty close.
My first time shifting a 3 on the tree, back in the late 60's, my dad bought his first antique car, a '47 Olds fastback with a manual trans, I used to sit on his lap and shift it driving around a parking lot.
When I was 11, he bought me a '55 Nash Metro Convertible (took two years of cutting lawns and odd jobs to pay him back) that's where I really learned to drive a 3 spd, although admittedly, it was mostly first and reverse in the back yard. If no one was home, I would get going at the end of the back yard and by the time I passed the house and hit the driveway I could get through all three gears....then I'd stand on the brakes before I slid out into the street.
Impressed and scared the hell out of my friends! At 12, I learned how to change out an axle after I snapped one trying to do burn-outs in the driveway with that car. Looking back, my dad was much more patient with me than I gave him credit for.

 

I recently, in a fit of nostalgia, purchased a '51 Chevy with "3 on the tree". It didn't take long for my aging left knee to remind me that it's been waiting several years for surgery to repair some damage. Got over the nostalgia and moved on to a '50 model Fleetline with automatic trans.

 

One of my early idols had 61 Olds super 88 holiday coupe with 3 0n the tree and it ran like stink. He'd polish off 409s with ease. I asked him once how much extra did it cost you to get the 3 spd? He said 100 dollars less. I was so dumb!

 

drove Grandpa's '36 Chevy coupe into a creek when I was 4....fascinated by that little shiny button on the dash and how it magically started the engine up; never got any time to do any shifting...my legs were too short anyway.
Earliest recollection of "driving" a manually shifted vehicle was when Dad had me out in the field when he was combining oats...probably age 5 or 6. My job was to sit in the ol' REO that was happily idling along in low gear; my legs were still too short...... and when he waved to indicate when the bin was full, I pulled out the hand throttle on the dash (remember those?) and steered to the combine. He'd jump in as I got close and take over to do the unloading, then set the REO in gear and I was on my way again till it was time for the next load....all the while the REO and I were idling around the field.
First real driving was with the family 53 Merc at about age 11. It had a 3-speed on the column. This was after I'd driven tractors for a coupla years already, so not a big challenge.

I got a kick out of the guys in the Army that had never driven a stick before. They sure made the 3/4-tons grind a lot of metal.

 

The stuff in the 50s shifted pretty good the last 3 on the tree I had was a 72 Torino the shifter was a joke.

 

I'm still shifting my three from tree. '63 Galaxie wagon with a 390. Only had the '1 to 2 hang up' a couple of times over the years. Usually when I was trying to show off and show how fast I could make the shift!!

 

i think it was still available in mid to late chevy and dodge pickups

 

^^^^^Mid to late when???^^^^^

 

sorry, mid to late '80's.
but i have found out from a friend who was in the used car business that the last 3 on the tree was the 1987 chevy r series. ford pickup was 1986, and dodge was earlier.

 

three on the tree OD = happiness.

im just in my 40s, but have had a few cars with column shifted 3spds. never could figure out why they stopped making them...

 

The man that I worked for in high school and college had a late 60's (68, maybe?) International pick up with three on the tree. Every once in a while, it would hang up and have it in two gears. I remember him having to get out and beat on the linkage with a hammer; once freed, he would get in and carefully row the gears a few times to make sure it was going to work right again. Fortunately, I never had to try to drive that truck. The van he had (Ford, early 70's) was also three/tree, but was no problem to shift. Oh, we can't forget manual steering and no power brakes.

 

I just picked up a 65 c-10 with a 3 on the tree. I was looking forward to it, as I had aHenry J, A 59 Ford, and A rambler over the years with 3 on the tree, but recent shoulder injuries are telling me I will likely have automatics in all my rides soon. Bummer.

 

Three on the tree are alot more fun than ATF.

Real hot rods have 3 pedals.

 

Today there a great anti-theft device.

My last three on the tree was a 77 Bronco.

 

I've had a few with three-on-the-tree, got a Ford four-on-the-tree right now. Also had "three on the wall" (Traction Avant), and "four in the air" (Citroen 2CV). Picture of my current sun visor:

Cosmo

 

We get a lot of Japanese pickups and minibuses here which until very recently could be had with five on the tree. The latest minibuses* have little gate shifters on the dash, which seem to be entirely mechanical and may be able to transition successfully to a traditional idiom.

*The word taxi has two meanings in South Africa. One is a sedan with a taximeter, where you get in and give the driver the destination you'd like to go to. The other ("finger taxi") is a 16-seater minibus which operates on a set route much like a bus service, and people get on and off all along the route. People hail them by sticking their fingers in the air. The drivers of these latter are notorious for outrageous driving. If you want to know what a Toyota W55-8 gearbox will take, take a ride in a finger taxi.

 

2nd gen Chevy vans (1967-70) offered a Borg Warner T-10, 4-on-the -tree :



Forward control van with 4 foot long shift rods running back to the trans.

There was a seperate handle down by the floor that used a cable to shift into reverse.



.

 

I learned to drive on a '65 Falcon with a 3-speed column shift (170 cid inline 6).

My avi '55 Olds Post is a 3 speed column shift as well.

 

My '51 Merc with 3 on the tree is a blast to drive....

 

Unless you grew up knowing no different. My dad had Hillmans and they were all 4 speed - column shifted and yes they suffered the same problems - jam the gears if you rushed- sloppy linkages as they wore - couldn't "race" them through the changes. At the time it was the best thing to convert them to floor change - now I'd love to drive one of them as they came from the factory. My 35 Desoto was floor change yet similar - couldn't rush the changes and a 58 Ply I had was three on the tree with a good change - just not fast. And I love the fact that others do not know how to drive them - puts a smile on my face that I know something through older age than they do.

 

The English mk1 and mk2 ford Cortina had 4speed column shift.

 

My Galaxie has a three on the tree. It was originally an overdrive car but that's long gone so it just has a non-OD three speed in it. I know some people swap these to T5s but I really want to keep the three on the tree so I think that I'm gonna try to rebuild the existing three spd.

 

I love the three on the column. I don't know why people put five speed in to get an o/d. 3spd o/d has the same end result with lots less gear changes. Its not often you see column shift these days. Every body goes 3spd auto, i.e. turbo 350. No real advantage still only a 3spd gearbox.

 

I remember seeing some Ford trucks from the early 80's that were column shift.

 

my current project is running the 3 on the tree W/OD that it came with from the factory. It took a little parts hunting but I got it hooked up to the FE engine. I can guarantee that it will be the only one in the parking lot like it. I like being different.

 

My '51 Chevy truck still has it's 3-on-da-tree. I love it. It helps take me back to that simpler time.

 

Daily driver only vehicle '49 Chevy 1/2 ton, 3 on the tree mated to a '69 3sp+od Saginaw/Borg-Warner. Heaven. Between the floor starter and the 3-on-the-tree I KEEP 'EM CONFUSED!

 

'66 F-100 was my first 3 on the tree, drove the shit out of that truck (1969-72)

Have not driven one in decades!