@TestECull

1 month ago

7:34 This is why 3-on-the-Tree was invented and was marketed as a safety feature. For the first 30 years or so, cars were floor shifted, and they had a parking brake lever next to the shift lever, so sliding across the seat was difficult to say the least. You got in and out from the driver's door every time. People parked curbside 99% of the time back then, and people were getting maimed, killed CONSTANTLY getting in and out of their cars. So, in the name of improving highway safety, carmakers started reconfiguring things in the mid 1930s. Parking brake lever was relocated to hang below the dash. The shifter was moved up to the steering column. Rear ends were getting reconfigured to lower the pinion height relative to the floor, which meant they could reduce if not outright eliminate the transmission tunnel in the cabin. And thus, 3-on-the-Tree was born. With 3-on-the-Tree, no center console, a shortened/eliminated trans tunnel, and a bench seat, you can very very easily get in and out from the passenger side of the vehicle rather than having to take a risk getting in or out from the traffic side. The roads were made noticeably safer as a result, so long as drivers used the feature as it was intended to be used. They were cleverer than people give them credit for 80, 90 years ago. My 71 Chevy C10 is still configured in this manner. 3-on-the-Tree, bench seat, no console. I still have this option available to me. I don't park curbside very often, but if I do, I will be able to get in and out of my truck from the passenger side and thus avoid this danger entirely. More likely, this will come in handy if someone parks a little bit too close to my driver's door for me to get it open far enough to get in/out without dinging their vehicle. Muscle car era put the kibosh on 3-on-the-Tree, though. Performance reasons. 3-on-the-Tree shift linkages are prone to jamming up if you shift them too quickly and bucket seats are far more supportive in performance vehicles. Center consoles were coming into vogue as well. And people weren't parking curbside anywhere near as often. 3 on the Tree started becoming a relic of a bygone era by the 70s and by the 80s you could only find it in the lowest trim half ton pickup trucks. Ford was the last holdout IIRC, offering it up to 1983 I believe, in the F100 with a carb 3.8L V6 that made way too little torque to be in a truck.

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