3 spd from tree to floor

Hello,Should I switch from 3 spd on tree to on the floor.Does it work or not oworth it.Thanks everyone have a great weekend

 

try grammar that should help

but to be positive keep it on the tree

 

its been done time and time again. my poncho and rambler are both floor shifts that used to be on the column.

just pop the pin out of the handle on the column, disconnect the linkage and buy a generic 3 spd floor shifter unit.

please keep your old stuff though in case you ever decided to go back or w/e

 

When I bought My truck the previouse owner switched from the tree and went to the floor, whished he keept it on the tree along with the old parts. Now I'm stuck with it on the floor till I swap out the ******.

 

what kind of truck?? i got a 60 f100 thats 3 on the tree and would be willing to part with the parts

PM me if interested

 

I'm going from 3 on the tree to 5 on the floor. I'm stoked.

 

I've had several 3 on the trees on different cars and trucks and like it. As the shifter rods, forks and levers wear out, a lot of folks changed over to a floor shift. With some of the floor shifters you can get quicker shifts and shorter throws. If you're changing from 3 to a 5 speed, it would most likely have to be on the floor. If you are changing columns or the dash or seats or adding power steering or a center console... a floor shift maybe needed. Really, its what you like.

 

floor shift is the way to go.

 

If it's functioning correctly on the column, leave it alone. The problem with 3 speed floor shift conversions is that the shifters are, shall I say, lacking in quality. They're a universal fit, ****py brackets, won't stay in adjustment and an overall pain in the ***. Well, at least that's been my experience.

Bob

 

I have a 59 chevy, not sure if it would work

I agree with you Bob, not sure what the hell the previouse owner put in there but it is lacking in the quality department, and tends to not like to go into second sometimes. I think that has to do with adjustment and junk brackets. I'm just holding out till I get a 700r-4 . Have to deal with it till then.

 

I believe Hurst still makes a great quality 3-speed shifter and linkage... Look them up!

 

Yes, it works. I have a 55.5 Chevy truck, took it from a tree to a floor shift (original 3-speed manual trans), I used a Hurst shifter, works great. As to "should" you? That's up to you.

 

Hey I just looked up the hurst shifter and this is what I found. I just might look into this till I do my swap. Is this the hurst you guys were refering to?

http://www.hurst-shifters.com/hurst-products/MASTERSHIFT-3-SPEED

 

Yep, the Mastershift. Works great.

 

If any would work well, the Hurst would. I'm old enough to remember all the junk 3 speed shifters -- Sparkomatic, Fenton, Almquist to name a few --that we would install after breaking the shift collar on the column while "speed shifting". We soon learned to make the hole in the floorpan large enough to reach through to unjam the linkage without having to crawl under the car!

Bob

 

I installed a 3-speed Hurst setup in a '69 Camaro I used to own.... The car had a 250 inline with a factory Muncie shifter setup that was wore out. Took me a couple of hours to install it. I also used the Hurst T handle on it.

 

My switch was in a 75 Camaro with the 250 inline six with the stupid integral cylinder head.

The factory shifter failed at about 35,000 miles. Locked into second gear. Installed the HURST and never had a problem with it through the 130,000 miles it had on it when I traded it in in 1985.

Rich

 

I buy the old long handled truck 3-speed shifters and convert them over to use on turbo 350's in trucks since they clear the bench seats.

 

Hurst Shifters always had a good solid feel to them... I might install one in my '05 Stang one of these years..

 

I dunno, I am a firm believer in the 3 on-the-tree driving experience. Theres just something kinda cool about that 1 - 2 shift. People stare and the mast motoring public have no idea how to drive one.

Ill keep mine on the tree as long as I can. Plus mine has the benefit of an OD so its factually a 4 on the tree. Shift 1 2 3 like a normal column, then lift off the gas at the right rpm and it shifts 4 like an automatic.

 

Old enough to remember the junk shifters as well. We referred to the conversion as “Three on the tree to three by the knee”. I couldn’t afford a Hurst so had to settle for a Sparkomatic for my ‘53 Mainline with warmed Flattie. Bought it at the White Front store in Berdoo, ‘bout ‘66. It had a bad habit of trying to engage two gears at once. If it happened while speed shifting it made the cluster gear stick out the bottom of the case, sounds like somebody rolled a grenade under the car. Never knew of a Hurst to cause any problems.

 

In the late 70's I had a 64 Chevelle with a 3 speed tree that I converted to a floor shifter. I used a Hurst Indy shifter. It made the car lots more fun to drive. My current car, an Acadian wagon has a powerglide, but if it had a standard 3 speed I would put in a floor shifter.

 

I had 2 other early Camaros back in the dayz.. Both had the optional Hurst shifters installed on the ***embly line..

 

I was torn between the two. Yes I was there when Pep Boys and J.C. Whitney sold them for 19.95 and every body had to have a floor shift. Part of me wants the floor shift but I think I'm going to leave it 3 on the tree.

Chevies used to have a problem as they wore. It was common for the stock linkage to hang up between gears. You'd have to pull and tug on the linkage at the bottom of the steering column. When that happened the second time it was off to Pep Boys.

After 40 years of car shows with 90% of the hotrods having floor shifts my buddies all talk about the rare hotrod with 3 on the tree. It may not be traditional but we think it is cool.

I won't be doing any power shifting but I do like to wind it out in second gear with my fist stuck out there like the Redskins just scored. Then just Sunday shift it into third.

If you keep it on the column, leave it in 1st or 3rd when you park it. Guys like us notice and will check it out. If you leave it in 2nd or reverse every one will just think it's another slush box in park. If you got it flaunt it.

 

Who cares about impressing onlookers? Is that what this is all about? Or is it about doing what YOU want/like?

 

I learned to drive a '67 Impala with a 3 on the tree in drivers ed. The cool teacher who owned the car would first show a sheet of the shift pattern before we even got in his car.. We'd take the sheet home and study it. The next day, we got to drive it. I never had a problem with it. All the Camaros I've owned in the past had a manual trans in it except for the '68 which had a 2-speed powerslide.. All the stangs I've owned since '88 had/have a 5-speed in it.

 

The old Hurst Syncro Loc was a real good shifter, the other 3 speed floor shifters on the market at the time were all pieces of ****, not worth owning if someone GAVE it to you. The Hurst Syncro Loc was replaced with the Mastershifter. I don't have any experience with that one. If you buy one at a swap meet, get the mounting parts with it. The tower (shifter) is the easy part, the linkage and mounting brackets are the hard to find parts. Good luck.

 

The semi-literate (I'm being kind, I know) OP never came back to say thanks for all our input and witticisms. Just another driveby FNG waving his "clueless" banner for all to see.

dj

 

i like a floor shift, but one thing about them is the "buzz" they produce while driving. i think factory floorshifts use rubber bushings to eliminate that...