This comes up from time to time here, so when I saw this today I decided to post it for all the young folks who didn't or don't know what "3 On The Tree" is.... Also believe it or not, there were some "4 On The Tree's Too"
I'm only 35 but learned how to drive three on the tree . I have a 60 f100 three on the tree I'm keeping for my kids to learn on .
I remember teaching myself to drive a manual trans in a column shifted old Ford pickup with a balky linkage that would randomly jam between gears. I like manuals, but ever since that truck, I've hated column shifts.
Could have used that picture this spring. Bought a fairlane with a three on the tree. Quick google search has me driving it home no problem! I'm 35 by the way.
Inspection station conversation "no it has 3 pedals, yeah but the thing is up here its automatic" Third guy: "well it won't start anyway, I turned the key and it's dead" Foot starter is a killer too.. I'm 40 and learned to drive standard in a 68 chevelle 3 speed column shift car
I used to power-shift my old f100 3 on the tree - until I broke a motor mount and then had to replace the clutch later that year. After that, I stopped pretending I was in a sports car and the old truck served me well for years with very little problems. When I was acting normal and just driving it, with a passenger who never saw one, sometimes I'd get a surprised or confused look. I think they thought I was putting it in drive at first, as if ot were am automatic, and then couldn't understand why I was headed towards reverse or park when I was supposed to be accelerating. Most intuitively figured it out by the time I let the clutch out in 2nd gear. Sometimes I think it would be a good idea to put one in a t-bucket, due to space considerations. I don't think they were ever really thought of a sporty, though. That would probably impinge on the cool factor, which is an important consideration for t-buckets. Were there ever any performance cars with three on the trees that had big engines in them or were they generally ordered with the economy engines?
Hi. Ain't no dang ignition switch on the column either. That along with my foot starter if I could adapt a flip cover on the dashboard ignition switch similar to the one on the trunk key lock. Perhaps changing the the hood release pull cable to one that says Choke that I took off when I installed the dual carb's with electric chokes. Then the normal joy rider & pot head thief would have no clue how to do anything about stealing it Jimmie
Had a teenage boy ask what the little button on the floor was for and when I told him it was the dimmer switch he looked at me like ???
My 47 Dodge business coupe has 3 on the tree. Sure its not sexy, but I'll be putting in a T5 and converting to cable column shift.
I've got 3 on the tree in my 52 hudson, when I was about 8 my dad taught / got a lil agitated, but I learned, I've thought about putting a floor shifter in a few times sense the 3 on the tree components wear after awhile , resulting in inconvenient times getting stuck in 2 gears, but as long as you don't shift like your in a sports car and always make sure you go to neutral first then gear never jams, that and the occasional pb blaster.
Love the 3 on the tree tho, its original, and if more vehicles had this there'd be less texting and driving
Not many US vehicles had the four on the tree, but was not uncommon with foreign cars. Actually a well designed and adjusted three on the tree would equal any three on the floor back then... We used to have fun back then too by switching the adjusting rods so you could reverse the pattern, making third gear where second gear was normally...
Have had many cars with three on the tree. My favorite was a 55 Chevy with a power pack and OD. Had a 40 with a small block and three on the tree-my kid came by one day and asked to drive it--wife and I looked out and saw him studying the column.etc-had to show him the H pattern. As to hypo cars with three on the tree there were many, my 57 Fuel Injected orig BelAir had this setup with a close ratio gear set-worked fine but would get out of whack if power shifted hard at the drags-easy to adjust.
Had a friend tell me something about welding a spot on the shifter under the hood that made it so it wouldn't get stuck in 2 gears, don't remember exactly what he said tho, would have to call him up.