Learning to drive 3 on the tree - finally 😂

[mitch@wildhorses]

What is something in a classic bronco that most new Bronco owners would NOT recognize today?

 

[Yeller]

Look out! all of your 3 on the tree broncos are no longer safe from Mitch and Russel

 

[lars]

So cool! I learned to drive in a 1953 Chevrolet Coupe with a 3 on the tree. Decades later that made my transition to the 3 on the tree on the 1970 Bronco that I picked up in 1996 pretty easy. That romance lasted about a year and then I moved on. To multiple changes not relevant to this thread...

 

[Broncobowsher]

High school (before the first Bronco) was a '76 Fury with the 3-speed. Learned that doing doughnuts in the church parking lot on a snow day you could get it up into 2nd gear. Pretty good for the leaning tower of power. That was the only 3-speed column shift that worked right. Every one I had since was always worn, sloppy, hung up, horrible. But when they are working good, they are a blast to drive.

 

[El Kabong]

It was just the regular thing when I was a kid. Everybody drove them. My dad described it as the same "H" pattern as a floor shifter, you just had to see it from the side. Cracks me up to see it considered so difficult today. Entertaining to watch. I took my driver's test in a 64 Valiant 3 speed column shift. I remember my mom driving a 59 Mercedes 4 speed column shift.

 

[ared77]

Another good video Mitch!

 

[sprdv1]

What is something in a classic bronco that most new Bronco owners would NOT recognize today?

bout time haha Good stuff

 

[sprdv1]

It was just the regular thing when I was a kid. Everybody drove them. My dad described it as the same "H" pattern as a floor shifter, you just had to see it from the side. Cracks me up to see it considered so difficult today. Entertaining to watch. I took my driver's test in a 64 Valiant 3 speed column shift. I remember my mom driving a 59 Mercedes 4 speed column shift.

I kinda miss it too. Nostalgic + lots of memories w/the 3 speed

 

[Speedrdr]

It was just the regular thing when I was a kid. Everybody drove them. My dad described it as the same "H" pattern as a floor shifter, you just had to see it from the side. Cracks me up to see it considered so difficult today. Entertaining to watch. I took my driver's test in a 64 Valiant 3 speed column shift. I remember my mom driving a 59 Mercedes 4 speed column shift.

So how was the shift pattern on a 4-speed column and what are the chances of finding one and matching it up with an EB and a Dana 20???
Asking for a friend…me. Lol

Randy

 

[Yeller]

I’ve done a Saginaw 4 speed with a column shift, I would imagine a top loader would be the same. I hooked the shift linkage up and used a small lever on the floor to shift to reverse. It worked well, you just had to remember to shift it out of reverse if you parked it in reverse. Made unauthorized borrowing even more difficult lol.

 

[El Kabong]

So how was the shift pattern on a 4-speed column and what are the chances of finding one and matching it up with an EB and a Dana 20???
Asking for a friend…me. Lol

Randy

I think the pattern was

looking from the end of the shifter toward the side of the steering column.

As for finding one, you might hit up someone on a mercedes forum, or study up on how our 3 speed columns are put together & modifying one to do so.

Having driven both column shifts & floor shifts, imo floor shifts are more solid feeling & reliable. A column 4 speed would be unique, but probably not worth the amount of work required.

Is your friend trying to twin stick his D20 on the column too?

 

[FordBronc]

On my 73 the PO twin sticked (levered) it while still using a normal Bronco 3 spd trans. 1 lever is 1st and reverse, other lever is 2nd and 3rd. No speed shifting from 1st to 2nd for sure. The PO did it because of the narrowed down VW rail body they put on. They had to move the shifter back and inboard.

So when I 1st got it and I did not drive it often, I would forget which one was what. Then I sharpie marked them. And now I have modified knobs showing R-1 and 2-3. Lol

 

[Yeller]

On my 73 the PO twin sticked (levered) it while still using a normal Bronco 3 spd trans. 1 lever is 1st and reverse, other lever is 2nd and 3rd. No speed shifting from 1st to 2nd for sure. The PO did it because of the narrowed down VW rail body they put on. They had to move the shifter back and inboard.

So when I 1st got it and I did not drive it often, I would forget which one was what. Then I sharpie marked them. And now I have modified knobs showing R-1 and 2-3. Lol

Speedway sells a kit for doing just that
Have used several of them for parts for other things. In the stock car world while not as common as it once was to use a 3 speed in second gear and never shift it to get the correct gear ratio for running the track, typically combined with a 3.08 rear axle. Let’s you use junk yard parts.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Speedway sells a kit for doing just that
Have used several of them for parts for other things. In the stock car world while not as common as it once was to use a 3 speed in second gear and never shift it to get the correct gear ratio for running the track, typically combined with a 3.08 rear axle. Let’s you use junk yard parts.

Gets even more fancy than that.

Started with tracks trying to keep the cost of racing down. Implemented a gearing rule. Racers would just run an old 3-speed. Strong, light (for what they can take), and were super common and cheap since everyone was pulling them out to put in a 4-speed. Stick it in 2nd gear, got the same results as an aftermarket gear set. Great, economy racing is back. Then they were burning up the bearings in the transmission. Not the roller bearings, the bronze/brass ones. So they started an aftermarket business of spending lots of money to roller bearing the cheap junkyard transmissions.

Ford did something similar with the top loader. They made overdrive version. All they did was revise the gear ratios (and the case to fit the larger overdrive gear. 3rd gear was overdrive, 1st and 2nd gear were revised to correct the spread. All was fine until they stuck it in the Econoline. That added load and running heavy load in overdrive would smoke the bronze bearings. So if you look at parts for the overdrive top loader there is a special line for econoline parts that have the rollorized overdrive that the car line did not get.

 

[Ksm]

When I first inherited my Bronco (got it in my parents divorce) it obviously had the 3 on the tree. I was living in Houston at the time and had never learned how to drive a standard. I asked my Dad to each me and we tried once. It wasn't that bad but hard to find a safe place to learn in such a congested town. Fast forward a few months later and my dad picks up the Bronco and takes it to "get some work done on it." It needed a LOT of work so I didn't think anything of it. We'd been working on it in my garage on and off for a couple of years. Anyway he had it converted to an automatic I thought the 3 on the tree shifting was kinda fun personally.

 

[Speedrdr]

I think the pattern was

looking from the end of the shifter toward the side of the steering column.
Is your friend trying to twin stick his D20 on the column too?

No, I mentioned the Dana 20 in reference to being able to mate it to the Mercedes transmission. I just think it would be another ‘means’ to prevent an easy theft as there’s not a whole heap of people who understand the 3-on a tree. Lol
Sorry for any confusion.

Randy

 

[El Kabong]

No, I mentioned the Dana 20 in reference to being able to mate it to the Mercedes transmission. I just think it would be another ‘means’ to prevent an easy theft as there’s not a whole heap of people who understand the 3-on a tree. Lol
Sorry for any confusion.

Randy

I guess I should have added one of these . No need for an apology.

I started with a straight answer, thinking you were considering column shifting a typical 4 speed, which although seems possible, doesn't seem reasonable. Then realized that probably wasn't your intent, but left the straight answer alone, & added the over the top bit on twin sticking the t-case on the column too.

 

[Mikes Early Bronco]

What is something in a classic bronco that most new Bronco owners would NOT recognize today?

Haha. “Not Light Bright Nation.” That’s hilarious. Great video. Mitch, do these comments count for the giveaway or does it have to be on the Youtubes?

 

[mitch@wildhorses]

Haha. “Not Light Bright Nation.” That’s hilarious. Great video. Mitch, do these comments count for the giveaway or does it have to be on the Youtubes?

Lets keep them on YouTube! Helps our YouTube algorithm!

 

[sprdv1]

Lets keep them on YouTube! Helps our YouTube algorithm!

LOL amen