Three on the tree

[quapman]

I've seen a few 71-74 B-bodies with the 3-on-the-tree deal. I'm guessing with the E-body's crush-can designed column, it would have been a tough engineering feat for a manual column shift. I could see many a knuckle whacking the dashpad as well.

I have heard quite a few folks mistakenly refer to auto on the column as "three on the tree".

[EB3-GranCoupe]

I had a 1970 /6 3-speed convertible barracuda.  a three at the knee.     the 3speed manual was the base standard tranny, everything else was a cost upgrade. 

[kissalien]

My A66 car is also a 3 at the knee car.

[Aussie Challenger]

Almost all our "A" body Valiants here in Australia had 3 on the tree manuals as standard except the performance ones which were on the floor. Nobody barked their knuckles as they just had a longer and more acute angle on the gear shifter with the crush can.   

[Blue Stone]

 On e bay right now there is a three on the tree  manual transmission 1970 Satellite 4 door , its going cheap too....

[KyBishop]

I had a 1974 Challenger that was column shift auto.  I bought it from an elderly lady and she special ordered it that way.  It was yellow with black vinyl top and black interior.

[JeffAARy]

I still think it's kind of weird that someone would order a sports car with the shifter on the column. 

I've had several people who were of a certain age during the musclecar period tell me that some guys would buy performance cars with column shift and bench seat so they could put their arm aound their girlfriend/wife while driving (and do more while parked).

IIRC the pistol grip got in Nic Cage's way in Gone In 60 Seconds.........

Personally, the column shift BS and JS cars make me ill.  I've been shocked to see the column shift on more otherwise cool Mopars than I care to remember.   One particular AAR Cuda I saw at the 1993 Mopar Nats left a scar.

[Blue Stone]

 Yep I saw a scary AAR too ,it was a mint red survivor with a column shift  ....  Carlisle Pa. in 98 there was an absolutly perfect A12 for sale 90,000 dollars and a column shift to boot .......

[Alaskan_TA]

I must be in the minority, I would much rather have column shift than a car with a cheesy plastic console.

[Blue Stone]

 No doubt the console is a bit cheese but on the tree is for a family car  ..floor shift all the way  ...

 btw my JS23VOB factory 4 speed and  console delete I dig it that way  ....

[Changin Gears]

Who said an e-body wasn't a family car?

[CHL2T]

The reason I like the console in the Challenger is that I can stash the wallet, cell phone smokes/ lighter and whatnot.  It also keeps the dog from standing on the hump and crowding me

In the Cuda, I am constantly digging the above items from under the seat and trying to keep the dog back so I can shift.

[Aussie Challenger]

I must be in the minority, I would much rather have column shift than a car with a cheesy plastic console. 

We had a lengthy discussion a couple of years back between the clean no consul look and a consul.   
I agree with Alaskan TA the plastic look is poor but the consul does have its benefits. I was going to reuse my consul when I converted from the auto to 4 spd but I do like the cleaner look of no consul, still up in the air at the moment. Will probably leave consul out after conversion and see whether I miss it.   

[JeffAARy]

I don't think the console is cheesy.  The black plastic texture and the "woodgrain" match the rest of the interior.  No one ever said E-bodies had lavish interiors like a '57 DeSoto.  If you think the console is lame, then you must think the rest of the interior is as well.....

I left the console out when I converted my Cuda from a Slap-Stik 727 to the Keisler 5-speed, but that is because the pistol grip is so damn cool I like to showcase it and not hide the boot with the console.

Console and Slap-Stik is definitely way cooler on automatics than the granny shifter on the column.   I'm guessing the percentage of people who prefer the granny shifter is pretty small.  To each their own, but I think the granny shifter sucks.

[tommyg29]