Hi all,

always thought it was to get nearer to ur "Honey"……..hahaha…….

Mk2 Consul's and Zephyer's…….they were the days…..

clogs………..

Column gear change went along with a bench front seat so that you could get three people in the front (pre-safety belt days!).

B

My Opel Kapitan had column shift and 3 forward gears, bench seats as well. The gear lever was a bit wobbly but was ok, the engine was a straight 6 cyl. quite economical at 33 mpg. Maybe the engines then were long stroke engines then? not over square like todays engines No electronics and very easy to repair. 6 volt electrics. The main fault was the clutch lever system, pivoted on plastic bushes they soon abraded being exposed to the road dust etc. Easily changed and cost pennies..

Unlike the Triumph herald I had for 9 months where I was able to push the gear lever through the extension over the gearbox leaving it dangling in space!

The 95/96 series of SAAB, again steering column change but, a freewheel lever which meant clutchless gear changes.(You definitely had to engage the free wheel in snow and ice) Would go happily through 12" of snow!

With the advent of 5 and 6 gearboxes I think the gearstick had to be more rigid and the power output of modern engines are in a narrower output curve so the gear shift needs to be precise!

Bear in mind todays cars are mostly now FWD and maybe transverse engines which creates a whole new configuration of layout for the controls. So gear levers need to be fitted as an extension from further forward in the engine compartment!

Clive

Edited By Clive Hartland on 28/11/2017 09:29:10

Edited By Clive Hartland on 28/11/2017 09:29:36

I owned a Bedford CA Dormobile camper for several years, It like the other Bedford CA was fitted with column gear changes, it was also fitted with a drivers seat and a double bench and half the engine was in the cab so there was no room for a floor mounted gear stick, even the handbrake was mounted on the right side of the drivers seat.

Martin P

Or ! Once on my Austin Metropolitan I managed to select two gears at once. Luckily I noticed and managed to deselect the original gear and start again.

Mike Potts

With the advent of fly by wire systems they may be making a comeback my wife's B class mercedes has a stalk for the gear selection (P,R,N,D )as well as flappy paddles

Maybe it was just the USA influence which waxed and wained?

I had two Nissan vans in the 1980,s,both of them were column changers,never gave any bother,but then,I began with a Renault 4 The next van was also a Nissan,but with a floor gearstick,which unscrewed itself while I was driving home from the Dealer! so much for "Pre delivery inspection". The fact that I was in heavy traffic at the time did not help much. Since then,I have been driving Hi Aces with no problems. As some one said,the increase in the number of gears may have had a lot to do with it.

You think it is only 50-60s? Some tractors in the 80-90s (and possibly later) had column gear changes. That would be eight, not three or four forward gears. We called them the 'Rubic Cube' gear change!

Moggie minors never had column change, neither did cortinas, amongst others, back in the day of the colum change. Bench seats and the idea imported from the US were likely the reasons.

Edit to add: forward control vans, etc., needed 4hem as the box was a bit remote and no real space for a floor stick – Ford Consul van was a pain, but it was warm to sit over the engine.

Edited By not done it yet on 28/11/2017 10:06:17

I seem to remember that some cars of the period had rather large transmision tunnels, maybe a floor shift would have been too close to the drivers left ear.

I am remembering 'Umbrella Handle' type Handbrakes as well now, often in the parcel tray area.

Edited By V8Eng on 28/11/2017 10:17:50

Exactly the opposite on many cars though, with the shift mechanism down by the driver's feet the lever was about two feet long with a commensurately long travel, frequently cranked so far that the H was almost vertical. Until the sportier remote floor shifts became popular, bringing the gear lever closer to the driver, column shift was the upmarket alternative.

Brian

Column shift was great for changing drivers without stopping the car.

My mate had a vauxhall with column shift. On the long runs to Uni in the late 60's he would partially stand up at the wheel, I would slide across the bench seat into the drivers side and he would step across into the passenger side.

Easy peasy, just slow down to 30 while you make the change.

Long time ago when we were all a bit crazy, well I was!

geoff