Column Mounted Shifters

Column Mounted Shifters

Author
Discussion

jayemm89

Original Poster:

4,003 posts

129 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Just a post of curiosity really.... I watch a lot of movies and the column-mounted shifter appears in many of them. Obviously these being Hollywood films.

I've driven for a few years now (okay, nearly a decade) and been in all sorts of vehicles of all sorts of age and price but I've never encountered a column-mounted shifter.

I was just wondering are they that common in the states, are they still popular? They seem like an awful idea to me, but I suppose you'd get used to them...

hornetrider

63,161 posts

204 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Only one I've ever used was an old Hiace camper in New Zealand. Not the best system but ok when you got used to it.

S0 What

3,358 posts

171 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Depends really, nost yanks are auto so you just use it once then rarely touch it and that's easy, like the toyota lucida, manual ones are a PITA IME but then you very VERY rarely get manual column changes nowdays, even in the states most manuals would have been 4 on the floor (usuall gear leaver postion) older 50s and earlyer where 3 on the tree, 3 speed column change.

iva cosworth

44,044 posts

162 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Possibly one of the last manual gearbox column shifts was the SAAB 95/96 that was on sale till 1980.

Lots of UJs to link it up made it a notchy thing to use.

RobinBanks

17,540 posts

178 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Quite a few Mercedes have them, don't they?
They're automatic though.

okie592

2,711 posts

166 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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The new CLA Merc and rolls royces both have Collum mounted shifters, all be it autos. Never seen a manual one

kambites

67,461 posts

220 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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I always assumed it wsa a throwback to when a lot of American vehicles had bench seats.

These days most automatic cars hvae no physical link between the gearbox and its controls, so manufacturers can put them pretty much wherever they want.

Crafty_

13,248 posts

199 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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For US cars at least it'd be an auto, you need park, drive and reverse, so you don't need to shift all that often. The cars also had bench seats, which would often be in the way if you wanted a floor shift, a floor shifter also takes away space.

Mechanically they used to be very simple, a small lever at the bottom of the column rotates when the shifter is moved, this is linked to a lever on the side of the transmission case.

For some time in the 60s Chrysler had a push button shift transmission, the buttons were usually up on the instrument binnacle or in the dash somewhere:

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

260 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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My uncle used to have a Zephyr 3 manual with a column shift. It also had a front bench seat so no room for a conventional gear stick.

He reckoned it was a classic example of the folly of finding a complicated way of doing something simple.

750turbo

6,164 posts

223 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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I remember the old Datsun Cabstar having one. (Unless I am really confused irked )






I should not remember st like this.

okie592

2,711 posts

166 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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The new CLA Merc and rolls royces both have Collum mounted shifters, all be it autos. Never seen a manual one

Toltec

7,159 posts

222 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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There's an echo in this forum smile

T0nup

683 posts

199 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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The Bedford Midi van had column shift. Albeit clunky, it was reliable enough once you got used to it.

gazchap

1,523 posts

182 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Don't know about the latest, but the previous generation BMW 7 Series used a column shift.

Harding91

427 posts

168 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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grumpy

966 posts

240 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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I had an old Ford Consul with "three on a tree", four if you include reverse. It worked well for what it was.
My understanding is that it was very difficult to get a four speed box to work with that arrangement so it was dropped for "four on the floor.

RobinBanks

17,540 posts

178 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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T0nup said:
The Bedford Midi van had column shift. Albeit clunky, it was reliable enough once you got used to it.
Weren't they something Japanese that was rebranded?

stuttgartmetal

8,108 posts

215 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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iva cosworth said:
Possibly one of the last manual gearbox column shifts was the SAAB 95/96 that was on sale till 1980.

Lots of UJs to link it up made it a notchy thing to use.
My old man had one
The long steel rod sheared
It cost £27 to replace in 1978

sparkyhx

4,143 posts

203 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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dad had a Hiace pickup probably 40 years ago - only time I've ever seen one. Anyone remember the old renault dash mount gearchange.

stuartmmcfc

8,653 posts

191 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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i had a Datsun van with one about 20+ years ago.
they were a double edged sword because it meant you could get 3, builders, in the front but you touched the middle guys knee every time you changed gear.