What would the advantages be if I take out the three and on tree and install a floor shifter? need feedback. I would like to cut the floor board out and install a shifter directly to the tranny. Some ppl tell me no, some tell me yes. watchu guys stink?
what kind of car? I'd say most cases there is no benefit, other than people maybe thinking you have a 4 speed rather than 3. my 61 dodge shifts just fine with 3 on the tree. 3 on the floor would be no improvement at all.
Advantage would be putting the shifter where it's most convenient for you personally. Disadvantage is mouting it in the floor then changing your mind on the seats and finding there is a conflict between your shifter sticking through the floor and the really cool seats you just bought.
Personally, I like three on the tree. But, if you're into speed shifting the floor shift would be quicker.
shifting on the floor is a lot cooler I think. and all three on the trees of any age seem to be limp dick loose, a conversion is just a fast easy fix.
mines nice and tight and if anyone wants to try and steal it be my guest noones gonna understand it now a days unless your a car guy. it also puzzels alot of people . one of lifes finer things in my opinion
Advantages would probably only be a more modern, tighter shifter in my mind..but even that's not exactly an advantage as many column shift assemblies can be rebuilt to work very nice. I had a column shifted 3 speed in my 53 chevy until last month. ONLY reason it's not there now is because i swapped to a T5. I liked the column shift personally. It was different now day's ( for the most part), alway's worked great and looked nice and clean without having a stick poking through the floor. If i coulda made the 5 speed work up there i would have done it..my car look's typical now inside. Personal preference. If i was keeping the 3 speed, i leave it alone but that's just me.
If you put it on the floor and don't have a 4 speed "3 on the floor" sounds stupid. I like it on the tree and on the floor, depends on the vehicle for me.
Another advantage of it on the floor is a killer vertical tiki head shifter knob. I have a tapper shifter knob on the tree and it looks a little awkward.
I have found most conversion shifters for the speed to re!locate to the floor are JUNK ! My Daughter bought a '55 Ford with a Floor shifter conversion, As soon as i find all the parts i will put it back on the Column where it belongs !
Shifting on the floor used to be cooler. Now you rarely see a column shifted car and that makes it cooler. There is likely a large percentage of thiefs who wouldn't know what to do in a column shifted car either.
Depending on the vehicle ... I prefer the column shifter. Many Hot Rods went to the aftermarket floor shifters in their Hot Rods in the late 40's to the 60's because the original stuff was worn out. As pointed out already .. it was also considered a faster way to shift ... if racing. In 1940 ... Ford went to the column shifter for it's Ford cars. It was considered a step up over floor shift. Many of the earlier, more expensive cars ( Cadillac, Packard and others ) had been column shifted for years. I rebuilt the shifter stuff in my 40 Ford coupe ( with the stock transmission ) and it worked very well. I think MOST floor shift conversion kits now are JUNK ... unless you can find a old HURST shifter ... for your application ... maybe on eBay. .
The Hurst Mastershift is the only way 2 go. Same mechanicals as Comp plus. And you can change sticks.
Mag wheels and finned valve covers don't make it go faster either. It was the thing to do in the late 50s and early 60s. It was considered a hot rod upgrade whether it really helped or not. In the late 50s if you didn't have a floor shift...you wanted one. That being said, I'm keeping it on the column for my 56. I loved driving my 57 with the 3 on the tree. I'm looking forward to the 56 with a little more guts.
62 bel air. It shifts fine, only thing is at around 60-65 mph it shifts outta gear. I just really like the look of a floor shifter.
Very true flop, everyone tells me "hey let me drive it!'" then they realize they have no idea where to start once they sit in it....kinda like me when i first got it.
A floor shifter won't fix that unless it's a linkage adjustment problem that gets cured when the new rods from the floor shifter get installed correctly.
I bought a truck that someone had taken it off the coulmn and installed it on the floor and beleive it or not the damn shift patteren was reveresed..What a jackass i about killed myself in that thing could not get the hang of it..
Sounds like the problem is the sincro. My wagon does the same thing occationally. Get it fixed and keep the 3 on the tree. Just my .02
a lot of good feedback guys, thanks! a buddy of mine (casper) told me to leave in on there...he called it a knecker knobber...he said soon i'll realize what that means....
If your '55-'65 Chevy three speed is hopping out of gear, pull the side cover and I'll bet that the 2-3 shift fork is very worn, like halfway through. I've seen a lot of them that are, and they never push the gear all the way in to start with. If you can't find a good one, it can be welded or brazed and ground back to spec. There were many aftermarket floor shift conversion kits forty years ago, and I've seen most of them; NOTHING equals a Hurst Syncro-Loc or Mastershift for three speeds. The only brand that even came close was Drag Fast. Either one of these would be an honest improvement over the column shifter, but many of the others' only advantage over the column shifter is that they look hotter.
there are none.... some dis-advantages are its harder to have your girl right next to you with a floor shift, you hand has to go farther away from the wheel when you shift, more thieves will know how to drive youre car, you have to buy or fabricate a linkage, it makes it harder to work under the dash, and IMO i dont look right, well not in a 40's 50's cruiser anyway(
I've got a 3 on the tree in my '41 Poncho. Only problem with it, is that it's loose as hell and you have to find neutral. Personally, floor shifters and 350/350 gets boring. Old Skool rules!!
I had a 61 apache that would get stuck in first on the way to second if you didnt drive like gramma on sunday, once It pissed me off so bad I accidentally broke one of the ears off the column! but after replacing the column the tranny went out and when I went to truck rex to get another it came with a floor shifter. I liked shifting on the column, but if I had a v-8 maybe not
Well, then, I guess that every '60s drag racer that ran a Hurst shifter in his three speed equipped car had his head up his ass.
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