Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

yellowbowtie · Member

Remember when...

Lost in the 60s · President

Congrats on having him learn how to drive a manual trans car... Not many people seem to know how to do that anymore.

Growing up, my parents never owned a car with an automatic. It was like I knew what to do before I even tried from watching them shift a 3 on the tree for all those years. I passed my driver test in a 2 year old '66 Chevelle with a 3 speed column shift ....

My son just turned 15 and starts classroom training next week for his permit. I told him there is no way I will let him get a license without knowing how to drive a stick. He may well learn in a '66 Chevelle too, with a 4 speed and 454 engine...

John D · 2K+ Club

My "daily" for junior & senior year of HS was a '51 Ford F-1 pickup! Flathead 6, 3 on the tree, with a NON-syncro'd first gear.

Dave Seitz · Mega Poster

Congrats on his learning how to drive, I had to teach myself on a test drive with the owner of the car.

I was teaching my wife then Girl Friend to drive my truck and she did great. That was until church let out in St. Joe and she got scared with all the folks crossing in front of her. She stalled it a couple times and then did the high rev dump the clutch stall. Local cop comes flying around the corner as she does a big tire squeeling stall again. Getting ready to nail her until he see's she is learning and stalls it again, then starts laughing at her. She is now really mad and finally takes off with out incident. We get to her folks house she throws the keys at me and said she will never drive a stick again!

bowtie · Secretary

I elarned in an '84 Accord, but took my test in a 85 CR-X. My first "car" was a Jeep that was a stick.

SShink · 3K+ Club

I learned how to drive a 'standard transmission' when I was 15 in a 1964 Ford Fairlane with '3 on the tree' or column shifter for you younger folks. It had the 3 on the tree PLUS a lever under the dash for overdrive that when you were in 3rd gear on the highway you pushed the clutch in 1 more time and pulled the OD lever and let the clutch back out. Man that thing sang down the highway with the little 269 c.i. V8 running smooth as silk!

Now that I think back on this... this was the first car I 'detailed' the engine bay by cleaning off all the grease and thinking how cool that was! BUT... it was a 4 door (no offense Darren)!

OscarZ · Treasurer

My first car was a hand me down 5 spd manual Toyota Corolla SR5 and I've liked driving stick shifts ever since. I have had various others over the years but none currently. My favorite to drive to date is a friends 67 GTO with the close ratio 4 spd. Least favorite to shift but still fun to drive is my step-dads 47 Ford truck with non-syncro 4 speed. Only used the final 3 gears as the "granny low" isn't needed for regular driving. Stan - "standard transmission" reminds me of my grandfather who taught me how to double clutch the previously mentioned old truck! Whenever I use that term people look at me funny.

SShink · 3K+ Club

OscarZ wrote:
Stan - "standard transmission" reminds me of my grandfather who taught me how to double clutch the previously mentioned old truck! Whenever I use that term people look at me funny.

Mike, I think that's because if you go back far enough in the history of cars, a manual transmission was the 'standard' offering and an automatic was an option later in the years until it became the standard offering due to popularity.

Derek69SS · Founding Member

I'll force my kids to drive manuals just to make sure they can't text while driving.

Lost in the 60s · President

John D wrote:
My "daily" for junior & senior year of HS was a '51 Ford F-1 pickup! Flathead 6, 3 on the tree, with a NON-syncro'd first gear.
The first car I owned was '54 Chev business coupe with the aforementioned non-syncro first gear. The guys with newer, syncro transmissions thought they were cool to do J hooks and I "couldn't". Did you know that while going 12 mph in reverse, you can shift to second easily and then slip it down into first with merely a "chink" ??? Those poor snow tires didn't stand a chance after that...

OscarZ · Treasurer

I knew the origin of the term. Does that make me old too? :) I think for many cars the auto is still extra cost over the standard manual but for my new Malibu there wasn't a manual shift option just 4spd vs 6spd auto.

SShink · 3K+ Club

Derek69SS wrote:
I'll force my kids to drive manuals just to make sure they can't text while driving.

Boy aint that the truth! With the last 2 Chevelles being 4 speeds, around town I couldn't talk on the phone or drive with anything to drink unless it was in a bottle laying on the seat (that's why I bought the ashtray/slip-in cup holder! ).

I'm looking forward to having the auto again for less hand shifting activity when driving around town.

-- Edited by SShink on Wednesday 30th of March 2011 09:56:41 AM

ron fuller · Active Member

Learned on the farm in the fields. Had alot of cars with sticks until rush hour traffic got so bad.

Tony Hoffer · Moderator

Vehicle?? an old case tractor...11 years old..
car? a 66 Impala with a 327 wcfb 4bbl and a 3 on the tree with manual steering...14 years old

Chris R · 2K+ Club

The first time I ever drove a manual transmission car was the day I bought my 66. It helped I learned to move in 1st gear when working at a full serve car wash in HS. The hardest part is moving the car from a stop.

jim larson · 2K+ Club

Can't remember for sure which car dad let me use. It was either the 50 ford or the 57 chey; both 3 speeds on the column. Or maybe Grandma's old Studebaker truck. Anyway, I really learned to shift on the old Moline R tractor in the early 50's, it had a foot clutch and a big lever.