is driving a 3 on the tree easy or difficult?

[mw2013]

this guy makes it look easy, but you can't grab on to the stick to hold you body up in a drag race

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kTBKlgTt6Q

[bensherb]

EASY !! A piece of cake. Just don't try and force it. You should not be hanging on the shifter to hold yourself anywhere , be it a column shift or floor shift! Adjust you seat appropriately and you won't need to!

[mw2013]

i think i saw your transmission rebuild, awesome, didn't know what i was looking at,but, they don't make new grommet and small parts to make it feel new?

[Noxnabaker]

By hanging on to the stick you only waste out the linkage bushings faster & will have trouble shifting soon enough. & there are floor shifts out there but get a Hurst setup if you're gonna race.

[Skip Lackie]

That is Ross Miller, who is a very good Studebaker and Packard mechanic and restorer. He lives in Maryland, north of Baltimore. I have seen that Packard flatbed, which he drives everywhere. Although it has a rat rod look, the workmanship is superb.

[Blue 15G]

That must have been his '50 Champion that I saw parked at Reedsville this past April. I love the patina it has.

Personally, I really enjoy driving a 3 on the three.

[Blue 15G]

I mean, 3 on the "Tree", of course! (Can't edit anymore).

[Avantidon]

Grew up with them and they are very easy to drive. Still have one in my garage as well. Just happens to be a Champ T-Cab.

[jts359]

Just the other day I showed a 3 0n the tree to a 28 year old who had never seen one before . His comment was I'd like to try it and it looks like fun , Ed

[6hk71400]

Can anyone tell me what type of tree is used? Is it oak, maple, pine, ash, mahogany, gopher wood, aspen, or something else? Certain cars in the fifties such as Mercedes used a column shift articulated 4 speed. Would they use a different tree?

My 57 and 41 must be factory defects because when I went out to look at them, there was no tree at all in the cars. So I guess I have to use the term Column Shifted 3 speed

[PackardV8]

I grew up driving three-on-the-tree and never met one I liked. As soon as I got my first Studebaker, it immediately got a floor shifter conversion, as have all since then.

jack vines

[mw2013]

does that not, blow up your drive in movie dates? with that thing in the way?

[Topper2011]

It's pretty easy and actually kind of fun. My shifter is fairly worn, so I don't rush shifting. You have to shift deliberately, like in the video. My 1966 Rambler American wagon shifted really nicely for an old PacBell vehicle. My Austin A40 had a backward 4 speed pattern. You never use 1st gear it's so low.

[mw2013]

Does hydraulic clutch make the day to day in traffic better and lighter, of is factory cable perfectly fine?

[mw2013]

what if you get sick,can't move or die and no one else in the family can move the car, the resale value goes down?

[6hk71400]

Mason, if I am dead, I am not going to worry about that. The whole 3 speed column shift, as well as the earlier cars that you have to engage the clutch to activate the starter button, is better than the club as a theft deterrent

[mw2013]

how about get sick and can't move your left side? and drool all over the place?

[6hk71400]

Properly adjusted clutch and column shifted linkage, shifting is a breeze. With the overdrive engaged, I start out in 1st and can shift to 2nd and 3rd without using the clutch pedal as long as I shift before the overdrive engages, say at 25-30 for V8, 35-40 for sixes. No overdrive, the clutch, unless it is a heavy duty, can be engaged with a light touch.

I can with my Hawk, as well as other Studebaker's I have had, can be driven without having your right hand leave the steering wheel. I hook my thumb on the rim, and use my two fingers in a V engage the shift knob to go from 1st to 2nd and then 3rd. Again, properly adjusted, it does not take much force to shift.

[mw2013]

what if it's worn out?

[Skip Lackie]

IIRC, the first column shift cars were the big (more expensive) 1938 GM products. For many years, I owned a 37 LaSalle coupe, the last Cadillac product with a floor shift (for 4 decades or so). I discovered that the 37s were more desirable than the almost-identical 38s because the 38s came with column shift. Before anyone asks, the last North American cars with a column shift were the 1979 Chevy Novas and its clones. They lasted another decade or so on GM light trucks.

[mw2013]

so millions were made, and buy knowingly bought them and were driven

[Topper2011]

I worked for a delivery service in 1980 and we had a newish (1998 I think) Chevy Van with the 250 six and three speed column. My brother worked as a bank mail courier. He drive a pretty decent 360 Dodge Van with a/c and am/fm radio. One night, while he was off, the other driver was mad at the company and took it out on the van and blew up the engine. The next van they bought to replace it was a Chevy with a six and 3 speed on the column, no a/c and am only radio. Some routes needed to go to Firebaugh, CA in the central valley. Hot!

[Hallabutt]

The three speed column shift became the standard for most American cars in 1939. Automatics assentation to dominance began during the late 30's, but was not complete until decades later. In between the two shift philosophies, the floor mounted standard remained the standard in foreign cars and many sports cars. By the late 60's the transition away from the column shift was virtually complete. Sportiness and simplicity of operation changed the whole dynamic of driving.