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This brings back memories. My first car was a 65 Mustang with a 289 and a 3speed. I didn't know how to drive a manual when I bought the car so I had the seller drive it to my house and I drove him home in my parent's big Ford wagon. It only took a few days to get the hang of it. In many ways it could be considered easier to drive than a modern underpowered 4 cyl with a 5speed since you have less gears to shift through and more torque from the V8. Bottom line though if you can drive a stick, it shouldn't give you any problems.
So I got to finally drive the ol' pony, and let me tell you that was a different experience. Between the lack of anything "power" in the brakes, or the steering, and the un-syncro tranny I think I did pretty good, but scared me the most was the steering wheel sitting in my lap.
I had several different cars with 4 on the tree. Then there was the 59 SAAB, 3 on the tree and a little handle below the dash that controlled the free wheeling which is sort of like a coaster on a bicycle. That car had a 3 cylinder, 2 cycle engine. You had to pour a quart of oil into the gas tank before you filled it. There weren't any emission laws then.
I'm a retired mechanic and the son of a Master mechanic that could work on just about any car on the road. He had worked on a Old RR and completely rebuilt the engine and trans on a Citron with no prior experience on one.
Anyway dad would say many times that Detroit made bad decisions by dropping early models like the 6 Cyl 3 speed and OD (overdrive) that would give excellent gas mileage on the Hwy(Fwy)......blame Washington and the money hungry people.
Learned on 3 on the tree and it was fun, alright. My dad was patient with me in his 59 chevy pickup. But, I am grateful as I have normally driven 5 speed Accords and Volvo. Unless I am stuck in stop and go traffic, a manual is more fun to drive.
I also learned on a 3 on the tree I remember push starting a couple cars that were colum shifters getting it rolling at a good speed jump in and pop the clutch.
I remember back in the early 90's when my Mom borrowed my 5-Speed Ranger. She and a friend were driving to the mall when she noticed it wouldn't go over 40mph. That's when her friend told her she had two more gears. Being born in 41, to her three speeds are all you had. I think it would be hilarious if todays kids tried to drive a three on the tree! Can you imagine?
I have a 6speed. I drove a 3 on the tree.
Didn't like it. I can see why they got rid of it. Shifting was very vague and clunky.
I did like that I could cruise around residential areas in 1st gear, but definitely not a good daily in my opinion. Traffic is too fast paced these days to putt around like that.
In comparing to a 3 speed standard transmission on an early vintage, 6 cylinder Mustang to a more modern 5 speed unit:
1. 1st gear in one is about the same as 1st gear in the other - unless 1st in the 3 speed unit is a little higher.
2. 4th gear in the 5 speed is the same as 3rd gear in the 3 speed unit.
3. 2nd gear in the 3 speed is in between 2nd and 3rd in the 5 speed unit.
4. 5th, or overdrive, gear in the 5 speed unit has no analog in the 3 speed unit.
The main upshot is that in driving the car with the 3 speed transmission, compared with the other, means having a heavier foot in 1st, holding 2nd longer, and cruising in a "direct drive" gear.
Also, since 3 speed Ford manuals before 1966 had non-synchronized 1st gears in 6 cylinder models, downshifting to 1st required double clutching to manually get the gear shafts spinning at about the same speed.
When you have a bigger, torquier motor you don't need more than a few gears. Put a mouse motor in an old Amercian car and you would need extra gears to get it going.
Ever watch a trucker rowing through all those gears in a big truck? The engine runs in a narrow RPM range and you need lots of gears to keep it in the powerband. Old V8's and 6's didn't have that trouble so more than 3 gears wasn't needed.
My dad had a '75 3/4 ton Chevy V8 with 4 on the floor. The first gear was a "grandma " gear so you always started it in 2nd. It didn't have power anything and made a man out of you driving it. LOL My mom hated it and wouldn't drive it. LOL
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