3-ON-THE-TREE TRANSMISSION | HOW TO DRIVE!!!

[@styldsteel1]

Probably one of the most comprehensive learning videos for the 3 speed column shift. thank you

[@milkcrate82]

Thank you for watching!

[@styldsteel1]

+milkcrate82 I now know how to drive my newly acquired 48 Hudson Commodore. ty!😂

[@Eger118877]

This is a great video! Shifting up on the column like that looks like a pain in the ass compared to the stick shift manual.

[@johnhurtme]

​@@milkcrate82did you ever take that steering wheel off and put it on right side up? I was screaming about it in my head the whole video. I had the same truck. 262 with the integrated head. Mechanical fuel pump bolted to the block and ran off a lobe on the camshaft. Mine the gas tank was rusted out. Just ran a rubber fuel line hose through the dash to a 5 gallon gas jug in the passenger floorboard, got it out of the field where it was rusting without a tow truck. Parked because it had shifter problems when he said that with the wheel turned a certain way it wouldn't shift. Told him there was a nut on the steering column loose which would interfere with the shift linkage only if it was turned a certain way, he had it located and torqued down before I got there. 20 years that old77 had sat in the pasture for a loose nit. Long enough to rust the tank out. Didn't have but like 60k on the truck

[@matthewstorm5188]

My grandpa used to have a Dodge Dart with a ‘three on the tree’ when I was very young. Back when I was around four years old, I always wondered why he was always shifting an automatic.

[@jondstewart]

Nice! Remember how Dodge Plymouth cars sounded back then when you started them up? 😂

[@GuldstrandLin66]

I drive one of those!

[@jpolar394]

I still have my 76 Chevy Nova with a 3 on a tree and I drive it daily. The best thing about it is it will never get stolen and second it no one ever wants to borrow it because they don't know how to drive it.

[@csmith563]

I have an 87 Granny Gear and a 91 automatic F150, beaters, as they are called. I lock it but Really don't Need to, LOL!

[@cs45933]

heEL YEAH BROther! tHEy DONT MAke CaRs. LIKE thEy UsE tO. cArS nEEd mOre BBCs in TheM.

[@glennredwine289]

@@csmith563 Is the 87 granny on-the-tree or on the floor? we had a 73 K5 blazer 4x4 w/ granny gears, i think it was the SM OR CHEVY 465 TRANS nd 3.73 gears, boy that thing could climb!!

[@georgefrederick5398]

@jpolar394 can I borrow your 76 Nova?

[@cesarinelmeromero2685]

😂

[@xaviercavalier4822]

I love how you can feel that old trucks character just by watching the video. New cars don't seem to have that feel to them. Idk if that's wierd, but it's hard to explain what I mean

[@milkcrate82]

I know exactly what you mean! Thank you for watching!

[@cellphonelightsaber]

People want quiet, smooth cars these days and that means less reaches the driver, including vehicle feedback. A lot of tuned cars ride "rough" because it's communication. You'll know exactly what it's doing at any given moment, like the Lancia Integrale or the Ford Focus RS. All that vibration and noise is tuned, and in your mind's eye forms a sharp picture of the surface of the road, your tires, and the orientation of the car's weight. An old truck instead has a massive dissonance of EVERYTHING and all its bodily noises included. It fills the senses in a way a deadened cabin can't.

[@N0nManfiold99]

You mean the feeling and sound of it falling apart? Yeah I wish modern vehicles had that same feeling.

[@jacobmuench6708]

@@N0nManfiold99 leave please

[@rickrickerson]

Tyrone Harper fuckining millennial piece of shit

[@thaspaatz_1158]

I'm 28 and I've heard about 3 on the trees but never understood how they were shifted. Now I see it's like a conventional H pattern but sideways on the column. That's neat as hell.

[@daniellovell7606]

Put it in H!

[@dustingearhart1958]

2:35 "And now we move the stick this way and we have WARP SPEED!!!"

[@nopuddingcups4360]

i actually think the guy is younger at the end of the video

[@vgames1543]

@@nopuddingcups4360 Because of time dilation and the behaivor of the space time continuum at (faster than)light speed?

[@nopuddingcups4360]

@@vgames1543 no because of the time machine hes in

[@Handlebarrz]

No Pudding Cups took him back to 1977

[@brasstrombone9]

I love driving and I love racing but car people on KZbin are some of the most vulgar people out there. This guy is just trying to show the world a cool piece of automotive history and people can't wait to jump all over him because they do something a different way.

[@milkcrate82]

brasstrombone9 Thank you sir!

[@SKANK_HUNT49]

@@milkcrate82 your steering wheel is upside down nigga

[@brianferrell9497]

Yes, there seems to be a over abundance of , let me think of the correct word.......oh yes now I remember PRICKS.

[@Bossrich6287]

Welcome to the world of wimps,and most of them would never say this to your face.

[@moai3951]

@@Bossrich6287 yes and mostly they don't even have a car because they're bunch of kids

[@singinglifeaway5053]

Dude this helped me so much. I just got a 69 bronco as my first vehicle, and my dad's been trying to teach me how to drive a three on tree and to say the least it hasn't been going well. This vid just boosted my confidence by 100% thanks man!

[@binaryglitch64]

You'll end up thanking your dad too... eventually when you end up understanding why he's so hard on you.

[@Lokey_8664]

This brings back memory of my late dad he had a 70 van and tried so hard to teach me how to drive that van, and I just couldn't get it. And I was a pro at driving a 5 speed and 6 speed manual tranny. I'm also a good motorcycle rider. Now that I watch your video, I am confident I can drive it. You are a very good teacher. I am going to try and find me one of those vehicles just to show my late dad I can do it. I know he's in heaven watching, knowing my dad he would probably be laughing, saying I knew you could do it son. Thank you very much for this video.

[@screwdriver1996]

My grandpa just bought a '65 Plymouth Valiant (it had been standing in a barn for 30 years or so and he got it real cheap) that has exactly this type of transmission and I hadn't seen anything like that when he showed me the car (thought only old automatic american cars used column shifters because I'm European). I've only driven manual where the gear stick is on the center console, but now I know how to drive cars that use manual column shifters. Thank you soo much :)

[@BritishCommentWriter]

Screwdriv3R We used to have the type of transmission shown in this video in Europe, particularly on Vauxhalls and Opels and some Fords, like the Zephyr, but it never really caught on. The Mark 1 Ford Cortina offered it in the mid sixties, but something like 19 out of 20 buyers went for the option of having the stick on the central column instead, so by the time the Mark 2 turned up in 1967 the column shifter was long gone.

[@ruthlesschoy]

was considering swapping my wrx to 5 on the tree, this sold me

[@perrymike15]

+saltyclams Is that a thing? Ive never heard of that..

[@milkcrate82]

Hahaha!

[@cumulo25]

+Mike Perry Asian cars had them 20-30 years ago.

[@canonet17]

@@cumulo25 Asian cars from.the 90s were not manual on the column. I think you may be mistaken. I've seem some land cruiser fj series from the 70s with this and msy have been the last. Chevy stopped putting it on trucks in 87 if I'm correct

[@cumulo25]

@@canonet17 They did make 5 on the column vehicles, they just didn't sell them in the US. Ahem: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJWtqXWnmpdqsKM

[@bobbienielsen6860]

I forgot about these oldies. Very nice!

[@leadnitro3]

vtec just kicked in yo 2:35

[@mikeure1528]

My first truck in high school was an old Chevy 1/2 ton with a 3 speed column shift. Loved shifting it. I've never seen a column shift in real life or in a video since that truck. Great memory, thanks!

[@9langenk]

I'm so glad when I typed in "three on the tree", the first vid was this demonstration on a square body chevy; made it more fun to watch. been wanting to get a 73-79 3 speed chevy truck

[@CyclesandThings]

I definitely watched this before buying a 68 Chevy, this is so cool that you did this man, thank you for the tutorial.

[@andrewhoward1525]

Watched this out of curiosity and this was a very well done video. Explanatory, simple, and informative.

[@stevendotson9819]

Probably my favorite transmission of all time! Back in the 80's when I first made my permit my dad wanted me to take his 81 Chevy truck out for a drive. I was like "dad I don't need to know how to drive an old standard truck I have my auto trans Nova." Well, he talked me into it and I learned to drive a three on the tree and absolutely loved it...drove that old blue pick-up more than I did my Nova.

[@cs45933]

heEL YEAH BROther! tHEy DONT MAke CaRs. LIKE thEy UsE tO. cArS nEEd mOre BBCs in TheM.

[@JoeysAutismAdventures]

I use your three on the tree videos to help me sleep at night as my white noise

[@PorterHandyman]

I learned how to drive... 3 on the three and drove that way for a long time learning all of the problems along the way...she's a smooth shifter. Thanks for the video!

[@artisannewsservice]

The shifting is pretty straightforward, it's balancing the gas and the clutch that is the real challenge - as in any manual transmission car.

[@johnhicks4102]

I learned to drive a 3 speed on the column at 11 years old in a '66 ford falcon my dad had. It amazes me that so many people have never saw or heard of these

[@GriffinCorpOne]

Thank you! My grandfather is gifting his old 56 Ford Victoria that hasn't been out of the garage since 86. Its a 3 on the tree and I've never driven anything like that before. This video was very helpful.

[@edisonsun21c]

nice, thx for making it! so few ppl even know about this nowadays.

[@milkcrate82]

edisonsun21c Thank you for watching!

[@myalaskalife5837]

edisonsun21c i have been looking for one

[@1WhiteShadow]

If you already know how to drive standard (floor shifters) then it seems kind of easy to learn this. If I ever get a car like this I'll probably never lock it because it is almost 100% guaranteed that nobody will even be able to steal the car (and the small percentage of the population who do know how to drive a 3 on the tree would not steal (probably because they're from an era where honor was more prevalent)).

[@mixercrafts5138]

yap, u´re right ´n I miss that kind of people on the world. thumbs up for your comment =)

[@milkcrate82]

You can go from 1st to 3rd if you wanted to. It's a standard "H" pattern, just rotated 90 degrees and mounted to the column.

[@jamesdiaz2748]

Ahhh. So a dog-leg manual

[@randy25rhoads]

Lots of good memories of riding around with my grandpa and his 70-something GMC truck and him shifting the 3 on the tree transmission. He also had a klaxon horn that he used in lieu of a real horn.

[@bricekey1310]

Good job sir!!! Thanks for the stroll down memory lane. Dang!!! Miss these days.

[@postersm7141]

I miss driving a three on the tree. Back in the 90s a friend of mine is moving with their grandpa‘s old van. Nobody knew how to drive it. I said no worries I got this it’s a three on the tree :-)

[@texas2cv]

Brings back memories for me. Learned stick on my fathers back in the early 80s. You must have taken great care of that Saginaw ... I remember having to double clutch to get from 1 to 2 in our GMC. I can smell the exhaust in that video too :). Thanks for this.

[@JohnRunyon]

The amount of travel on that shifter is amazing. Wow. There must be quite a gap between the gear ratios for you to shift smoothly...

[@Handcraftedrock]

The truck that never will be stolen...

[@lukewarmstanhouston9957]

Shifts so beautifully. I just got a 79 F100 and I need to learn.

[@detroitos]

Thanks for the video. I'm in the process of purchasing a vehicle with three on the tree and up till now had no idea how that thing functioned. I think I can try it with some confidence now.

[@scullen96]

Same

[@danielthomas3057]

Love to see that three on the tree action. My first car at 18 was a 64 Biscayne with 3 on the tree.

[@juliomontoya5729]

Thank u my brother God bless u for ur help,,just bought a 56 Pontiac 3 on a tree😉😉😉😃😃😃🤲🤲

[@hectorfernandonunezmoreno7388]

Nice video man, beautiful truck ; my father had a 73 chevy nova, a 77 nova concours and a 79 malibu with 3 on tree and i'm not saw that transmission from 30 years ago. Congratulations!!!

[@matthewmiller7774]

After watching this video I feel like I could go jump into a vehicle with a 3 on the tree and drive it ok. Thanks for the tutorial.

[@np-bl7qc]

I've heard of this transmission plenty but never got to drive one. Watched this video to know how if i come across one. Now I'll know how to confidently. Thanks bud.

[@wheatienotgreedy5207]

i learned to drive in a 3 on the tree, 84' c10 custom deluxe ,long bed, inline 6... miss that truck

[@40belowful]

I learned to drive 3 on the tree 1963 Chevrolet wagon. Very common then

[@randywilton3466]

first time i drove a 3 on the tree was a 60 biscayne. That this was a damn land yacht

[@csmith563]

Yeah, I used to have a 79 F150 300 6. LOVED that Truck. Guy tried to cut thru a corner strip Mall. Let you guess which one of us backed up.. I would of Driven away, he would of been TOWED, had he not stopped quick enough. What's GOOD about the old vehicles...

[@jacesolomon5427]

@Deskpop Risk, do you remember what kind of transmission was in ur 84?

[@squirellynutts]

This reminds me of the 58 studebaker I learned to drive 17 years ago, man I miss that ole truck it had the flat head six with 3 speed column shift, top end was 50-55 mph. Great video

[@jedisentinel1499]

It's too bad the column shifter has been lost in time. What a cool way to drive a pickup. Thanks for sharing!

[@milkcrate82]

+E. Squatch thank you for watching!

[@SurviventheOnslaught]

great explanation of how to shift 3 on tree.........the best ive seen

[@milkcrate82]

Thank you for watching!

[@susanstawniak1826]

Thank you for this demo! I had forgotten about this kind of shifter!

[@biglo9889]

Very nice job showing how it’s done. My dads work truck was a 3 on the tree. I never understood what heck he was doing? Until know. Thanks. Miss you dad.

[@bxbyalwaystokin4203]

My dad gave me a 63 Ford Falcon for my 19th and this helped me sooo much. Thank youuuu

[@dominicfong6341]

Wow I like the way you shift gears: very efficient and gentle. I guess you have never had any gearbox troubles!

[@lt.frankdrebin3317]

My '56 Chevy had a 235 in-line six with a 3-on-the-tree. I rebuilt the column and the linkage. Thing shifted like a dream with no slop. Now have a '58 Impala that now has a 3-on-the-tree with a later model full-synchro (and is much quieter too).

[@42luke93]

Probably 75% of viewers are here just for fun to see a manual column shifter transmissions!

[@tomsnyder6955]

I learned to drive a 3 on the tree transmission on a 1979 chevrolet c 10 standard cab pickup truck

[@danokerr9929]

You are very good at explaining and driving these old beasts

[@milkcrate82]

Thank you for watching!

[@Kiddro22]

If u can shift a three on the tree gotdammit u can shift anything!

[@milkcrate82]

Haha! Damn right!

[@tacoman864]

Kiddro22 yea i love mine 77 ford

[@Xcpwrestling]

I mean if a person was a professional car jacker, I would think they would know how to drive a manual.

[@Trainy2]

A split shift 10 speed semi truck is way harder.

[@tacoman864]

sprdvx agree 3 on the tree, very easy nothing to it

[@mystake9699]

Thanks for the video! Crazy what you older folks had back in your day...

[@milkcrate82]

Haha! Well the heyday of 3-on-the-tree vehicles nearly predates me. I'm 32 years old.

[@runforit420]

My dad has a 1972 Ford F150 with a column shift, let alone the number of Canadian Meteors (1953 and 1959) (Meteors were Fords with lipstick because some smaller communities didn't have a Lincoln-Mercury dealer close by) that were also column shift. What a great tutorial!

[@1940limited]

3-on-the-tree is the easiest thing in the world to drive. It's amazing how many people seem stymied by it today. When it started getting popular in the late 30s it was a huge innovation, getting the shifter off the floor. On older transmissions without synchromesh in 1st, you could "double-clutch" into first so you didn't have to come to a full stop. That took some technique.

[@johnnytenjobs]

Why did manufacturers bother to move the lever from floor to column? It must have cost more to make. All that floppy linkage!

[@willhorting5317]

@@johnnytenjobs partly because getting the shifter off the floor added "leg space" for someone sitting in the middle of the seat. Whether that was a kid (many of whom inevitably kicked the car out of gear), or your sweetie cuddling up next to you. It wasn't very lady-like to have to sit with a shifter between the legs.

[@dodgedurango6591]

Sooo cool! Lifetime keeper! 👍😎 Looks like a much later gauge cluster... had a 1991 GMC V2500 Suburban with similar instruments including pictogram fuel level display. Miss my 1976 Oldsmobile F85 with that silky smooth Chevrolet 4.1L 250 cid. 1 barrel inline 6... love the quietness and bottom end torque. Some GM trucks had an optional 4.8L 292 cid. inline 6 dependant upon payload package and equipment selected. Also owned a 1979 Ford Econoline E-100 short wheelbase with a 302 cid. 2 venturi V8 featuring none other than a three speed manual on the column utilizing crazy long shift linkages that had an annoying propensity for binding... bloody loved the baffled looks on more than a few faces of donkey passengers assuming that the van was automatic. ✊😃

[@jackgrubaugh5088]

Wow, that brings back great memories! I could feel myself going through the gears.

[@madjack58]

Thank you for posting this! I never did learn how to use one of these in my younger days, but since I've been eyeing a '50 Buick, I really ought to learn.

[@lyndentinkerer9914]

Great video..... like a piece of American Automotive Nostalgia. I don't think it would have been a very rewarding driving experience, but probably pretty straightforward. Thanks for making the video...... I can remember my uncle driving a Dodge Tradesman extended van with a slant six and three on the tree....... lots of noise and commotion inside the van that eventually translated into forward momentum in the vehicle, but it worked! I haven't seen it since (I was 14 years old then, and now I'm 54)

[@Pointlesshandle48]

My dad had an ‘80 Scottsdale when I was a kid. He used to let me shift it when we were going down the road. I was probably 6-7 years old around ‘92-‘93. This was a good refresher lol, I’d like to have one but I know they are rare.

[@nunyabidness4946]

Thanks for the video. I've never actually seen one of these even though I'm a middle aged car guy. I know I would keep reaching down for the shift lever on the floor. An article said you could still buy these in vehicles thru the late 80s.

[@Texassince1836]

Chevy trucks could be had 3 speed through 87

[@GrannySingaporePVP]

I just inherited a '67 ford f100 with a 3sp. Thank you for this video! It's not running yet (the old inline 6 is shot) but I'm going to drop a 302 5.0 from an old fox body mustang in it and hopefully after that and some steering/braking upgrades she's gonna purr like a kitten and I can try this technique out soon

[@MrPacman64]

trying to figure out my 64 comet. this video is gold, thanks man

[@gamingclub3396]

Great man, i love it. It would be pleassure to drive one of these classics. Damn you are so lucky. Here in Europe people unfortunately dont respect classic, as much Americans do...

[@ccubsfan94]

your steering wheel is bugging the crap out of me. all old chevs i came across had it flipped the other way. cool vid. Can't wait to pick up my 74 k10 with the 3 on the tree this weekend. a tad rusty but it runs great.

[@milkcrate82]

ccubsfan94 Ha! It was bugging me too! I shot this video not too long after I bought the truck. The steering wheel has since been removed and reinstalled correctly. Thanks for watching! Have fun with your new truck!

[@MrPocketfullOfSteel]

My first car. 74 Pontiac Ventura/ 6 cylinder had the 3 speed on the column. Loved that car!

[@Christian-nl7cm]

Thank you so much! I have a 64 MG that has 4 on the floor so I’ve never driven a 3 on the tree ... yet but now I have a general idea of how 😂

[@hismajesty5544]

I find this more entertaining than most movies.

[@JoelRamirez-nh2jk]

Thank you! I'm planning to buy a C20 and I had no idea how the gears were. I appreciate the vid! God bless

[@BryantandSMTC]

Wow Great Shifting. I Never Drove A 3-Speed Manual Column Shift Before.

[@cubcadetbob]

Place left foot on clutch, right heel on brake, right toe on gas, tach it up and dump the clutch... Reminds me of my youth.... Thanks for the vid...

[@cricketthoffman9499]

I pulled a horse trailer using one of those. Nightmare! Thanks for the trip down nostalgia lane.

[@cameraman655]

When we would visit my Grandparents farm near Duluth I learned to drive a 3-on-the-tree with Grandfather’s 1947 ex-USMC Willys, back in the 70s, I was 9-10 years old at the time. Needless to say, we were restricted to the farm, but what a time it was.

[@WOZCINEMA]

Right on bro! Thank you for showing this. Quick question, will this trans allow you to accidently go from first gear into REVERSE... in error??

[@JimS870]

Thank you for the video. How "strong" is this shifter compared to floor mounted? Seems to be more delicate, no? As in, it wouldn't tolerate being slammed? Also, is there a reverse lockout? Say you went from 1st and tried to go into 2nd but instead didn't go forward and up and just went up, could you accidentally engage reverse?

[@g0ballistic]

I've heard that it's pretty common for people to accidentally shift into R instead of 2nd. Doubt there is a lockout on most of these transmissions.

[@SuperAndybk]

Awsome video! I was a driving instructor pt for 15 years and couldn’t have done a better job. Truck sounds tight. Peace

[@RipDigit]

We just acquired one of 8000 or so 64 Impala ss with inline 6 ,3 on the tree....who would of thought..thanks for the refresher course..aug 2017 and this video still helps folks

[@juanfranco4283]

As a guy getting into cars and trucks(trucks mostly) I need to keep an eye out for 3 speed c10. Thanks for the video very helpful.

[@milkcrate82]

+Juan Franco thank you for watching!

[@thsarethbreaks]

My dad has a 68' chevy c10 stepside with 3-on-the column that he is starting to restore. I used drive it all the time. This is what I learned how to drive a 3spd on-the-column.

[@kalvinlabuik3366]

oh wow bring back fond memories lol we had a 68 GMC 910 1/2 ton pick up with a 250 6banger and 3 in tree lol

[@jamesfrench7299]

This is the first time I have a full understanding of how to drive one after decades of knowing about them. When a guy I knew told me they're easy I can now see why. I love the simple elegance of how they operate. These could really be driven efficiently if driven carefully. Do other cars with this have different shift patterns though?

[@el_spaghetto]

There's a funny story about my grandfather that goes around my family sometimes. At the time, he was used to driving pickups with 3-on-the-tree. But one time, he had to take his truck to a mechanic to get something fixed, and the loaner they gave him had an automatic transmission. Immediately after driving that loaner truck off the lot, he came to a stoplight- and when it turned green, out of pure muscle memory, he accelerated for a bit and then slammed on the brakes and turned on the windshield wipers in the middle of the intersection.

[@milkcrate82]

The previous owner swapped in the dash and gauges from an 81-87. The gauge cluster was for an automatic.

[@floodtech]

I thought it looked wrong, but really who cares as long as the speedo works

[@jlanthripp]

I had a 1966 Olds F-85 Deluxe with a 330 2-barrel, 3 on the tree, it was my first car. My dad's truck was a 1965 Chevy C-10 stepside, 283 2-barrel 3 on the tree.

[@letsgobrandon136]

That takes me back a few years 😆 at age 11 I learned to drive in a 66' falcon with a 3 on the column then my first vehicle at age 14 was 64' dodge pickup that had the same thing

[@christine8986]

Super helpful video! Thank you!

[@canonet17]

I had, for 4 years, a 1962 Chevy c10 long bed with a 235-6 and a 3 speed on the column. Unsynchronized first gear. While it was worn and jumped out of gear sometimes, was nice to hear the sound of the , I guess, Saginaw three speed and its gear whine in first and second. Many may knock 'em but much was done with cars/ trucks with 3 speed manuals

[@stvynix3687]

This is a good video.My grandma's old ford truck had this.

[@edoalva48]

Old but practical, and seems pretty cool too. Always want to try a truck with this column shifters someday.

[@Kiddro22]

If u can shift a "three on the tree!"... Then congrats! You're now declared as "BOSS STATUS"....one of the hardest trans ever to shift.

[@randelmckay5606]

love the 3 on the tree...brings back excellent memories of my old 81 Chevy half ton with a 250 six California style engine..wish I still had her...if you're truck is a 77...then the gauge cluster is not original..that is a 80-87 cluster...also to keep it originally looking..go with a am radio factory.. please don't ruin the dash like lots of people do nowadays...Beautiful truck though...thanks

[@bobbyscalchi4013]

I remembered these on the old man's 74 K5 Blazer. Moms 76 Nova and 87 and 95 Olds Cutlass Ciera. I've just never seen a column shifter one in Manual. They were all Automatic

[@jimf1421]

I grew up driving my dads chevy straight six with a 3 on the tree. after a few years, I was so in tune with that truck I could shift w/o the clutch

[@DLCFarms]

Just like the transmission in my semi...except its 15 gears less than the one in the semi, same concept though with the H pattern but without a stick.

[@bigpapiii3554]

Something is satisfying about this beater

[@codykillam279]

I feel like a kid again. Thanks!!

[@ken444444]

Great video. Well put together. Thanks for posting this!

[@TheeArtist23]

This dude sounds like Norm McDonald. Hell yeah brother. I learned a lot

[@paradiseroad6405]

...drove one just like that picking up and delivering parts for a truck repair shop back in the late 70's early 80's...only other three on the tree I remember driving was a 60 Chevy Impala...rode in tons of them when I was a kid though...

[@philfrancis6238]

The 3 speed transmission first on the floor and then after the late 30s on the volume was the "standard" or default transmission in American cars up into the early 70s when Ford and Chevrolet stopped offering manual transmissions in the big cars. In the mid 60s fully syncromesh 3 speeds came out. Before this you had to either "double clutch" or stop to get 1st gear. However as long as the car is moving.you can usually keep it going in 2nd gear. The gear pattern is an "H".when viewed from the passenger's seat. The presenter has had clutch hygiene. For those not in the know there are 3 pedals: gas, brake and clutch. Unless you have a Divco milk truck when the clutch and brake are combined. Using the clutch pedal as a foot rest when not shifting gears is bad technique. Also you want to keep the car in a gear with the clutch engaged. When approaching a stop sign don't dump the clutch 1/4 mile out and then roll up to it holding the clutch pedal down when the vehicle is moving. Manual transmissions are extremely durable and extremely susceptible to DRIVER ABUSE.

[@williambonson6846]

1st day working at an Exxon, Kendall Florida, 1972. Time for dinner break, Manager say's " Take the Ranchero" I jump in and learn on the fly how to drive a 3 on the tree. I was burning rubber shifting from 1st to 2nd on the way back.

[@443drag]

My dad taught me how do drive in in a 68 Chevrolet, with a 3 on the tree. He never kept a cold in his lap again.