Art & Inspiration Anyone teach their wife to drive 3 on the tree?

I learned how to drive in a '58 Chevy with a 3-on-the-tree and a gas pedal that was prone to falling off its mounting studs.

If a new driver can handle that, then your wife who already knows how to drive a manual can handle the column shift.

I would consider other factors, however. Even if she can handle the shifting, she may not find the rest of the driving experience enjoyable - non-power brakes, non-power steering, bouncy seats, dubious heating/ventilation system, single-speed wipers, etc.

 

Heeey! You talking about my hot rod!?!

 

A 48 Plymouth that still has the 3 on the tree would lead one to believe those old "normal" features may still be on the Plymouth as well.

 

wimmin! had a nice 65 Falcon with a six and 3 on the tree. guy and his wife came and looked at it, I guess it was for her, and she drove it but had difficulty, so I drove it and showed her what it is like to drive once you get used to it. she still did not like it.
another guy came by and offered me a trade for a nice black on black 1978 Malibu with Corvette rally wheels and fat tires. much cooler car than the visual in your head. wife didn't want to drive a 3 speed and that ended the deal.

taught myself how to drive a 3 speed in my 49 Chevy at 16. the only other cars I had driven at the time were the cars in driving school and my best friends mothers 65 Impala they let me use for my driving test.

women are strange creatures.

 

I'd suggest you hire a professional for the job. Might very well be good money spent for several reasons.

 

So,, to call on successes with the better half. ( using my afore mentioned tech )
My H.S. sweetheart, later on 1st wife, Picked up what I showed her and would take my '57, while I was at work. Run out on The Boulevard looking for red light challenges.
( also Pop's '65 Chevelle 3/tree 410 rear )
Then 3 more used dailies I had,, she mastered ( '50 Ply w/tree, '61 Lancer w/floor, '64 Cutlass
w/floor ) When married we wound up with a 'rice burner' 4 speed. Next came a Chevy Monza,
4 on console. One day I came home to find she did a swap + cash on trade at the Pontiac dealer for a '69 Firebird 400 4 speed, convert. A year later a '76 Dodge van 3/tree - ( lemon - mobile;
I blame the dealer for robbing parts + not supervising replacements. Not Chrysler Engineering )
That was foisted on a Chevy dealer for another 3/tree van. I drove that as we went thru 'splitsville'
Four years after, I saw her, she was rowing a 5 on console. Guess I taught her right.
Also I had success teaching a girl that I shared an apt. with.
Now # 3 wife ( the charm ) said she knew how. "Used to drive a Beetle"
We got an off topic 4 speed. I noted 4 years later that 2nd gear was balky. One night. after a disagreement she took off, and while in the house I heard the racheting sound 2nd gear synchros laying down on the job. To end this saga, Just sayin', while too sick to drive, on trips to hosp,
in a newer stick car, watching her I see she depresses the clutch two and a half inches and roots out the next gear.
So,, mentioning this to her she says "Jimmy told me to stay off the clutch"
No more sticks for her.

 

If she wants to drive and learn she'll learn. My wife drives the F100 to DTLA and picks up fabrics and all. 3 on the tree. She's got a '33. And a '57 that are manual already. If your wife is not at all into it. Maybe it's the car not the shifting.

 

I did teach my first wife to drive my 66 Falcon column shift 3 speed and my second wife can drive any combo.... cool. JW

 

After years of riding quads and motorcycles, my wife can drive a manual transmission just fine. But she doesn't want to. It's not an issue of can't, it's an issue of want. Your wife is more understanding that mine, no way would she tolerate me leaving that as her only form of transportation.

 

When your an old man like me you learn new way's to get loving anyway you can...

Dustin

 

Bad on the brakes for sure, my wife is a left foot braker and right foot gas pedal at the same time, she always says, "why is the Suburban idling so high" There is no way of changing her unless she's driving the 63 C10 then she does great.

Dustin

 

Three on the tree...... easy

Try teaching them to up and downshift shift in a model A Ford with 3 speeds and NO syncromesh in any gear!.

 

Plan on replacing the clutch after the lessons are completed.

 

Was lucky. I only had to wear my neckbrace for 2 years after the empty parking lot training session.

 

Thank you for your service Don! HRP

 

My wife didn't want to learn how. Only cost me one Muncie 318 for her to make her point.

 

Taught my wife way back in the 1970's to drive a stick with my '64 Suburban and it's granny gear truck 4 speed. She had trouble starting out in 2nd and not killing it, so we switched to granny low so she could get going easier without stalling. She got the knack of clutch and gas control and once she got it down we moved on to 2nd gear starts and she gradually got the knack.
But she hasn't driven a stick in 45 years now and likely couldn't.

 

Speaking of left-foot-brakers, I followed what had to be one on the Interstate the other day for several miles. Flat ground with sparse traffic and their brake lights were on sporadically almost half the time! I just imagined that they were resting their left foot on the brake pedal and every little quiver in the road caused them to put enough pressure on the pedal to light up the brake lights. My guess is they buy a lot of brake pads!

 

all my wife needs is the keys she can drive them all

 

When I was in the Air Force in the late 1980's, we had a girl in our shop who complained to me one day that nobody would teach her how to drive a stick shift. I told her I would, and took her out in a 1 1/2 ton Ford flatbed with a granny four speed on the floor - in traffic. She actually got really good at it, and after I taught her how to back up a trailer, she could put the other guys in the shop to shame. She was also a really good welder (we didn't have many military women in the metal trades back then), and she showed up a lot of the guys with that as well.

 

Some women are expert welders-they seem to have a knack for that and the patience to do a top flight job. Worked at NASA for 10 years and they had a few flight certified female welders---ain't nothing better than that. (don't know if they could drive a 3-4 speed though)