Straight Drive

I've only ever heard the term used by a friend (and forum member) from Easley, SC.

"straight shift" is a fairly common term here in Kentucky.

Straight shift I've heard and I grew up on the left coast.

Was talking with a couple people from work and they were talking manual shift cars. They meant automatic w/manual mode. I had to explain that my cars had 3 pedals.

Hear it daily and use it regularly, but then I both live outside Asheville and work with down the earth folks. and to answer a question posed earlier I would not put it past the guys I work with to call and Auto-tragic at (insert your choice of word for not-heterosexual) drive transmission. They are just the type to think it appropriate.

News to me, my being in WA might have something to do with that though.

SVreX wrote: Is that a reference to straight drive as opposed to a column shift? A column shift works through a complicated linkage, but a straight drive (aka 4-on-the-floor) connects straight to the transmission.

Column shift = 'three on the tree'.

In reply to Curmudgeon:

I am familiar with the alternative names for the column shift.

I am thinking the phrase "straight shift" probably originated for the configuration most of the country calls "stick shift", distinguishing it from the column shift, but was usurped in the South for all manuals when the column shift started disappearing.

You and I are 2 of the few around here who remember column shifts (or would have any idea what "3-on-the-tree" means)!

I had a '64 Chevy C10 with a 230 and three-on-the-tree. I loved driving that thing. A friend of mine had a Duster, maybe '73 or '74 with a column shift, as did another friend with a '70 Bronco. I don't think that I ever drove the Duster, but the Bronco was terrible compared to the Chevy. The Bronco's throws seemed to go from 1 o'clock to 5.

Grew up in california and always heard stickshift or manual transmission. Live outside of Charlotte in nc and its constantly referred to as straight drive

'Three on the tree' was commonly used to differentiate from 'three on the floor' or 'four on the floor'.

I've heard stickshift, straight drive, manual, etc all my life. Well, except from the iPhone generation, they just give the RCA Dog look when manual transmissions are mentioned. Every once in a while a Challenger will come through with a Hemi and 6 speed, two are driven by younger girls and it makes me want to weep tears of joy; there is still a small spark of hope out there.

Reminiscing: A buddy had a bright yellow 1970? 1971? Camaro with a 6 cylinder and three speed on the floor, only one I have ever seen, all the others were V8's with column or floor automatics or four on the floor. It had some sort of stupid backdrive linkage from the floor to the column that kept the key from coming out unless the trans was in reverse and that was all worn out. The sleeve around the steering column turned every time you moved the shifter into reverse, you had to grab the sleeve and turn it another inch or so before the key could be turned to the off position.

HS friend had a 289 Fairlane ('65, maybe a '66) that he converted from 3 on the tree to 3 on the floor, with a Hurst shifter

My IH COE has a 4 on the tree. ;)

I've only heard "straight shift" because I lived just south of Asheville for a few years. The other oddity from that area was calling the thing on the back of a pickup that makes the bed into a cargo space a "shell" instead of topper or camper.

yep … shell, sometimes camper, but until I came on here, I'd never heard it referred to as a topper

the '59 Simca I learned to drive on was 4 on the tree

So if you have a dirt car with no transmission, only an in-and-out stick, what's that called?

In reply to 914Driver:

The reason I won't sit through any more sprint car races in person. It's the 21 century, there is no reason not to have an on board starter in a car that needs to be restarted every 5 laps.

I've lived in central & eastern NC all my life & heard straight drive for as long as I can remember. Not just a foothills or mtn. thing.

Grew up in SW PA and never heard "straight drive", it was always called "stick shift".

I definitely know what "three on the tree" is. I had quite a few of those, most of which I converted to "three on the floor". Some with aftermarket shifters and a couple where I made the shifter myself.

wbjones wrote: the '59 Simca I learned to drive on was 4 on the tree

My Dad briefly had a late 50's Simca with the same set-up. He gave up after blowing head gaskets right and left because he drove it like he stole it. Well, he was actually toting himself and three other full-sized men on a 70 mile roundtrip commute and thought the 40bhp could actually allow it without a whimper.

That car was gone years before I learned to drive a straight shift Sprite. And, no, I've never lived in NC but I do have Hoosier roots.

and I had a reverse gear that seem impossible to find first try every time

914Driver wrote: So if you have a dirt car with no transmission, only an in-and-out stick, what's that called?

A PTO

Everybody in Michigan calls them sticks or manuals.

Funny, I was just asked this morning (by an NC native) if my Miata was a straight drive. I agree, it must be an Eastern & Central NC thing. I've been hearing it for decades but only around here.