Three-on-the-tree......

[Lou Van Anne]

When did Studebaker move the shifter to the column?

[fargoguy]

Shifter

1939? Plymouth went then

[PackardV8]

1939? Plymouth went then

Ford/Mercury went to column shift on the 1940 models.

jack vines

[ddub]

I had a '40 Champion with column shift and my parents '39 Commander had column shift so I am gonna guess it was '39.

[Hallabutt]

Easy answer 1939 on all models.

[50pete]

My question is why? Maybe to fit more people in the front seat? I think the floor shift is more comfortable, i have 56 power hawk thats 3 on the tree
I"d like to convert it but dont want to cut a hole in the floor, it"s a pretty nice 1 owner car with 54k on it. Even have the
Original indiana title. Half my brain says
Yeah floor shift, the other half says dont
Butcher a nice original car.

[sweetolbob]

My question is why? Maybe to fit more people in the front seat? I think the floor shift is more comfortable, i have 56 power hawk thats 3 on the tree
I"d like to convert it but dont want to cut a hole in the floor, it"s a pretty nice 1 owner car with 54k on it. Even have the
Original indiana title. Half my brain says
Yeah floor shift, the other half says dont
Butcher a nice original car.

Save the piece you cutout for the floor shift. It can be put back so that no one will know it was cutout. If you want the floor shift, go for it.

Bob

[8E45E]

My question is why? Maybe to fit more people in the front seat?

That was exactly why. In order to make it more comfortable for the middle front seat passenger which was a rather important selling feature back in the day when people usually had large families.

Craig

[studegary]

That was exactly why. In order to make it more comfortable for the middle front seat passenger which was a rather important selling feature back in the day when people usually had large families.

Craig

Also, to make the cars more modern. Another selling feature. I remember when my father first looked at a car with an automatic shift lever on the floor. My mother said that she did not want to go back to floor shift.

[Hallabutt]

As already stated, more room for three in the front seat. Bucket seats and a console really changed the dynamics of a family car. By the way, Studebaker went all in in 1939, to the extent that in an effort to flatten out the trans hump, the turned the transmission in the President and Commander, on it's side. Someone wanting to return 39 back to what it was like in 1938, would be in for a hell of a job!