"Three on the tree"

[rimfired]

Most of our youngsters here on the Forum learned on or drove one.

No License. My first was a stolen ride (I believe the statute of limitations has run-out, and all the family deceased.) @ '64 Mom and Dad had Aunt Susie & Uncle Ted baby sit for the 5 of us.

They weren't worried. I snuck out after they passed out and took the Dodge up and down the street. All of maybe a half mile. Ear-to-Ear grin.
I'm drivin! 14 years old.

Then my first owned ride in '68 was a '57 Willys Overland with the mod, Three on the floor....

Your first?

 

[Rule3]

My folks always had automatics. But I did sneak them out at nigt.

First 3 in the tree was a old Chevy Truck used at a landscaping job I worked at summer time while in school. One of my first vehicles I bought was a a Chevy Van with 3 in the tree. What a piece of garbage that vehicle was. Can not say what it really was!! Thanks for reminding me!

 

[wuluf]

My brother's first new car was a 1972 Ford Maverick with an AM radio and three on the tree. Out the door for under $2,000.

 

[brucev]

In 1974 I got my hands on my father's pickup truck... 68 Chevy stepside w/ 3 on tree. Oh the joy of driving that truck! I never used that little Chevy to see the U.S.A., but I used it for everything from general driving to heavy work. Pulled tractors with that thing! Learned how to work on the straight six motor, do the points, etc., replace clutch and such. Used to race folks coming out of the city dump after we'd get rid of a load of junk. That little truck beat a lot of much bigger trucks. Wish I could have gotten it permanent, but my father had the title. Came home one day to see the truck gone, my father had sold it to one of the employees. A few weeks later that employee got into an argument with his wife. He'd gotten drunk or something and showed out. She waited till he was asleep, went outside to the truck and dipped a rag in the gas tank. Then she set it on fire. There ought to be a law against such desecration!

 

[Frank237]

1957 Chevy, 4 door, 230 cube Blue Streak six cylinder. Needless to say....Three on the tree. Did get it when I was legal to drive though.

Learned to drive on a 1966 Chevy pickup with the three on the tree set up. Got my "Farmers License" at 16 yoa with that pickup.

 

[cass]

My first car was a 1954 Ford, three on the tree, that I changed to a Hurst four in the floor. I thought I was pretty cool with the loud pipes and slick tires - the Police didn't think so.

 

[Alpo]

'64 Fairline 500 4-door sedan. MASSIVE 170 inch six with a one-barrel. Three on the tree.

 

[ordy]

My parents had a '53 chevy that I wrecked when I was four years old. The car was parked at the curb on a hill and I was behind the wheel playing 'fireman'. I managed to take it out of gear and released the parking break. I had no idea what any of these things did but they were fun to play with. At some point, I realized that the car was rolling backwards and I bailed out, leaving the door open. The car rolled across the street, the open door clipped a telephone pole and the car came to rest on the neighbors lawn. We don't need to talk about what happened to me after the neighbor knocked on our front door.

 

[dswancutt]

Not a three on the tree, but a 75 Toyota Hilux pickup with a 5 speed. Not really a big step for me as i had been riding motorcycles for a couple of years before that.
That said, I have used a 3 on the tree on a clapped out 79 Chevy pickup and it was a royal pain.

 

[Grayfox]

My first brand new car was a 1973 Mercury Comet with the 200 six cyl and standard transmission (3 on the three). I gave the princely sum of $3200 for it. I drove it for almost four years (a bit after it was paid off). Got $3000 for it when I traded it in.
It was a great car, but constantly shifting gears was getting old. Especially since all the trucks I drove at work were manual transmissions too. I was ready to move up to a slush box.

 

[JackCrow]

Had one in a mid-70's Chevy work truck along with the straight six under the hood (302?). Great truck, I was always amazed by the amount of torque that motor had, what a workhorse.

 

[BaldEagle1313]

I suppose I was deprived as a child - all the family cars had automatics, and I didn't own a car with a stick-shift until I was 21 and bought a 240Z. Needless to say my insurance bill was a rather large part of my paycheck.

First car I drove was mom's '58 Edsel, with the push-button automatic in the steering wheel hub. I tried to convince grandpa to let me practice driving with his '59 Dodge pickup with the three-on-the-tree, but he was too smart for that.

 

[blujax01]

1960 Ford Falcon, 262 straight 6, 3-on-the-tree, sorta synchronized transmission. It was 1968, I was 13 and Dad said it was time. Took it out into a field, taught me a little about hand-foot coordination and turned me loose. He said there was nothing I could hit and the car was a Piece Of Stuff so don't worry.

My Old Man was a lot of things but he did teach me some mad driving skill.

 

[LouisianaJoe]

I learned to drive in a '54 Ford with 3 on the tree. The first car that I bought was a '60 Austin Healy Sprite. You did not get in it, you put it on. I would not fit in it today.

http://classiccars.about.com/od/cla...na-Car-Show-2008/1960-Austin-Healy-Sprite.htm

 

[speedyquad]

i have never driven a "3 on the tree." although dad preferred sticks, mom was adverse to learning to drive one so autos it was for us...i was a member of a volunteer fire department so when i turned 21, my now pa in law, taught me to drive a stick using the brush truck. ya gotta learn quick with a 1000 gallons of water sloshing around behind ya. i drove a stick shift s-10 for 10 years after....that little truck is still my favorite vehicle...wish i had never gotten rid of it...

 

[blackdeuce]

This is my 1962 Chevy with 3 on the tree. My grandfather bought it new in 1962. It has less than 50,000 original miles. All original except for the wheels and tires.

 

[feralmerril]

I believe I first drove dad`s 1936 chev. My first car was a 1942 studebaker commander. Then a 46 chev, then a 50 studebaker champion starlight coup, and den a 56 chev coup, an den a 51 dodge business mans coup and den a 61 olds delta 88 etc.

 

[Model 19 6"]

My cousin on the farm had a 57 chevy with 3 on the tree. I was allowed to learn with it.

 

[STCM(SW)]

My first car was a 1948 studebaker that looked like it was the same front and back.
Intresting thing was the starter was under the clutch pedal.
Yea, 3 on the tree.

 

[twobit601]

Being a Texan with both cows and horses of course my first car was a truck! 69 F100 with three on the tree, V8 360. Two barrel Holley. Thrush mufflers. I bought it in 76. It was my high school truck. Lots of memories.