....have had push button transmissions? No real reason for asking, other than I was talking with a buddy about it and we started wondering how many makes/models had them. I'm guessing they didn't stick around due to not being very dependable?
Many Mopars and i think Edsels...not sure what else.. Weren't the Edsels in the steering wheel besides?? Your probably right about the dependability..but in a way they were cool. Still dig seeing early 60's Mopar race car's with the push buttons in tact..
Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth had them late 50's - early 60's. It was just about all of the automatic models that had them - may have been a few exceptions. I can't remember if Desoto's ever had them. I believe that Corvairs had something similar. But, I think the Corvair was more a lever on the dash vs pushbutton. Memory is fuzzy on the Corvair. I'm sure there are more than just the Mopars.
I know the 56 Packards had them. They operated an electric motor that moved the shift arm. I'm trying to adapt one to the 49 Merc dash I'm putting in my 51.
Ramblers also had that feature in the mid 60's. I have been told the reason the pushbuttons were discontiued was due to more women drivers were complaining about breaking nails while shifting. Don't know if thats true or not.
Plymouth Valiants! My dad used to have one a while back...Slam the gas pedal to floor...push the button into reverse....go flying down hill backwards tires smoking....hit drive button....stall for 2 secs...launch up hill tires still smoking...leave giant rubber check marks up and down hill....Bad Ass!!
I had a 58 Edsel with the pushbuttons in the steerng column. It would decide to shift itself for no reason when parked. Other than that it was great.
Yeah...I thought the Edsels had the steering wheel thing goin on, and I knew about the Ramblers...interesting to hear how many others were out there. I would imagine the Edsel steering wheel situation had to be real pain in the ass to deal with when it was acting up. Edsels are cool, though. the manufacturers just had such a groovy-future train of thought of back then.
To the best of my knowledge, I believe all Chrysler Corp. automatic cars had it from '56 through '64. The Edsel had push button in '58 only. I had a '59 and it had a conventional column shifter. I had a good number of the Mopars too and never had a problem with the shifter or the trannys. My '56 Plymouth was a Powerflite (2 speed) and the rest were Torqueflites.
As already stated ... late 50's & early 60's Mopars ... ... 1956 Plymouth Ad: ... 1956 Imperial: ... our 1957 Chrysler 300 C Coupe: ... 1960 Chrysler 300 F: ... 1960 Imperial: ... 1961 Chrysler Windsor: 1963 Chrysler 300 (non-letter car): 1963 Imperial: 1964 Chrysler New Yorker Station Wagon:
My grandma had a big, long finned Black Chrysler with PB tranny...musta been a late 50;s car...she traded it in when I was in HS ('78) for a New Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme...the Olds ran fairly well, but grandma bitched till the day she passed about how much better the old Chrysler was. PS...I seem to recall the PB's being on the left side of the dash...and going up/down in a row but not as "fancy" looking as the '64 pitcured above...sorta just plain-jane buttons.
Mopar 1956-1964, Edsel 1958 (Tele-Touch), Mercury 1958 (correct me if I'm wrong. I don't remember Rambler having this. I've got a 57 Dodge pickup with the push button. Not real common. Barnett, you are likely both bored and drunk.
'56-'64 Mopar all '58 Edsel '55-'56 Packard Ultramatic Rambler '57-'64 (not sure on exact years they were available, 58-61 for sure) If there are others I'm not aware of them. That said, the '56 Lincoln Continental may have had the Tele-Touch pushbuttons before Edsel did. What's interesting here is Rambler used the same transmission as Ford, but used the same type of button shifter as Mopar - cable operated - had Ford used it I'm sure it would have lasted longer in the Edsels. Studebaker also used the same transmission, as did Jeep for a couple years - check a Motors Manual from '57-'65, they cover them in the same chapter or close together depending on what year you look in. What I've heard is when the Federal Gov't started to mandate safety standards, they wanted Rambler and Chrysler to go to a conventional shifter to eliminate potential driver confusion in an unfamiliar vehicle. I don't know how true it is, but given how close it came after they mandated seat belt attachment points ('63) it makes some sense. Moon makes a universal pushbutton solenoid shifter that works on modern transmissions, too. Or at least they did, I haven't seen any press about it in a while.
A friend had an early Pontiac Tempest with the rear mouinted trans axle. That also had the shifter on the dash.
something sorta like that junked mine....backed up a little too fast and hit the 1 gear button....pretty much killed a fun car....
I think the tranny count on my dad's Valiant was 6 rebuilds...2 new tranies, and 1 or 2 rear ends..The little Slant six never did die though...I think he said each trans was worth about 3 or 4 check marks...
the 170 that was in my 63 died before it had 20k on it....but then agian , it only had 9800 on it when i got it....drag raced it for a year and half before it locked up....put a 273 and pushbutton in it and raced it for a couple months before the tranny went ...think it busted the sprag or something....sold it , and ended up with it back...then it ended up getting back half'd and a 340.... (hey , it was the early 90's....) brandon
Dad's valiant ended up going to my uncle in missouri...Dad made the mistake of showing my uncle how to do the check marks too...Killed the trany tranny twice...And then rebuilt it and took the car out to the field in the mud one day (the mud is the final resting place for most cars and massive 4x4 trucks) Went flyin' into the mud pit until she started suckin' water.. shut her off and ran her over with a couple K5 blazers....Good times. I understand the 90s...I'm a 90s kid it's okay!
I had a 1963 Dodge Polara with pushbutton transmission. Never had any problems, and that's when I was 15, so it was tested tough. You could hook your fingers under the edge of the dash to hold on while manually shifting it......
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