whats the proper way to start up my truck

[Bulldog88]

How do you start up a 53 model 3 speed, do you have to step on the push starter pedal and the cluth together or what? Please help
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[Russell Ashley]

Originally Posted by Bulldog88

How do you start up a 53 model 3 speed, do you have to step on the push starter pedal and the cluth together or what? Please help
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You don't have to press the clutch if it's in neutral, just press the starter pedal.

[Bulldog88]

Ok im going to try and started, how does the three speed work on this trucks what is what?
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[Dan in Pasadena]

Bulldog, You must be a young, young man...we all envy you!

"Three-on-the-tree" is just an "H" pattern (like most shift patters) turned on its side:

"First" is on the lower left leg with "Reverse" straight up on the left leg.
"Second is the top of the right legt and "Third" is at the bottom of the right leg.
Neutral is the cross bar between the "H" legs.

Now just imagine the "H" by imagining you're sitting on the passenger side looking over toward the gear lever to your left with the top of the "H" laying on its side or pointed toward the dash. Clearest I can make it without a photo.

EDIT: Here's a picture of the pattern. NOW imagine you're sitting on the passenger side looking over at the shift knob and this is printed on it facing you, but laying on the right side of the "H". Make sense?



I can't beleive this is so hard to convey. See THIS:

Driving a 3 on the tree - YouTube

[Daze57]

''I can't beleive this is so hard to convey. ''

Dan -you funny

[Rude Dude]

Dan you the man, when I was fourteen I use to take my dad's 57 truck when he was at work for rides up and down the street it was a 3 speed on column took me about two day's to figure out the shift pattern til my dad came home early and shifted me with his work boot LOL. Ha the good old days

[Dan in Pasadena]

It's SO easy and yet so hard to explain! Ugh.

Yeah, I learned on my Dad's purchased-new black over red & cream '55 Chevy two door hardtop Belair. I drove that car until I bought a $750 '66 Chevy van - all the rage in my senior year, '72. I STILL kick myself that I wanted that over my dad's '55. What a friggin IDIOT kid I was. He sold it shortly after for $450!!! GAWD, that kills me. But the '55 was just a 17 year old car then. Like a '95 would be today - a giveaway relatively. My van had the same 3-on-the-tree too.

[63 & 64 Bowties]

Originally Posted by Bulldog88

How do you start up a 53 model 3 speed, do you have to step on the push starter pedal and the cluth together or what? Please help
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If you're sitting on a hill, it helps if you have three feet
Put it in neutral, left foot on brake, right heel on accelerator, right toe on starter.

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Bulldog, You must be a young, young man...we all envy you!

Dan, as an old-fart it amazes me how many young people can't drive any stick shift car.

[robin58]

Originally Posted by 63 & 64 Bowties

Dan, as an old-fart it amazes me how many young people can't drive any stick shift car.

Reminds of many many years ago when recently married, living in hilly northern NJ and I bought my wife a new Jeep CJ7 as a wedding present that she had always wanted. I'd ordered it and drove her over to the dealer to pick it up. Thought never crossed my mind that I shouldn't have gotten her a 5 speed stick until I watched her roll down a hill backwards at the first stop sign we got to. I was in the dog house for weeks for not being able to stop laughing.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Unfortunately I guess I'm an old fart too; I'm 57.

My kids are 29 & 30. When I was teaching them to drive I had an old Corolla 5 speed and taught them in a big parking lot on weekends. It had an elevated portion w/ a ramp I used to teach holding on a hill. My daughter didn't really want to learn. I told her if you can drive a stick you can drive anything if you're ever in a pinch you can drive a tractor, forklift, whatever.

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[Dan in Pasadena]

BTW to Bulldog88, do you realize there is no synchromesh in first gear in these trucks? And the synchro in 2nd and 3rd is not likely to be tip top anymore either. That means you can't throw it into first while rolling without grinding. Youve got to come to a full stop, press the clutch, WAIT momentarily, then shift into 1st. Same slower, subtle shifting into 2nd & 3rd will keep your tranny happy too.
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[mr48chev]

Although the older trucks don't have the switch on the clutch that requires you to push the clutch when you start the truck like a lot of 69 and newer cars do it is sometimes an advantage to push the clutch pedal in so that the starter doesn't have to turn the gears in the transmission especially when it is cold and the truck has been sitting for a while. It also helps to prevent embarrassment in case the truck is in gear and normally we leave these trucks in low or reverse when we park them.

[robin58]

Dan, you're not going to try an explain double clutching? :-)

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by robin58

Dan, you're not going to try an explain double clutching? :-)

Uh............no.

(You're not nearly as tired of reading my explanations as I am of trying to figure out how to write them!

[Bulldog88]

Well I think I learned a little bit about this truck, Im new to this year model truck, Im currently working on getting it started, if the carburator will stop leaking
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[STEVE60]

Hey Dan, now that you explained how to change gears on the tree.
Explain to him how to drive it home when you break the shifter going from first to second "just a little to fast". Or was that just me that did that (twice) before I put a floor shifter in it.
Stupid me cut a hole in the floor.
Steve