Push button gearshifts

I learned to drive on 50"s vintage Hillmans which had a four on the tree shifter that was a backwards pattern to the North American three on the tree. First was forward and up, second was forward and down. Third was back and up, fourth was back and down. Reverse was forward and down with the knob on the end of the shift lever pulled out.

Anyone else remember these cars?
Hillman Minx

Putting the shift knob so close to a similar knob may be a bit of an ergonomic faux pas by FAC but Jaguar, Land Rover has been using a console mounted shift knobs (combined with paddles for manual shifting) wth their ZF automatics since 2007 and the reviews have been pretty positive.

Looks like the 2017 Ford Fusion will also have a console mounted rotary shifter.
2017 Ford Fusion

jfkmk wrote:

gbopp wrote:

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:
Dad had a Corvair Monza that had a push button shifter come to think of it.

The automatic transmission Corvairs I remember had a lever type gearshift on the dash.
I'm not saying they didn't have a push button, I just don't remember seeing one.
I often wondered why Chrysler dropped them, I think they're neat.
Maybe the shift lever is cheaper and more effective?

A friend of mine had a Corvair with push button trans. Maybe they were more prone to problems than the mechanical linkage lever.

I rented a Chrysler 200 on a business trip that had a knob on the console for the trans. I didn't like it at all.

At first I didn't know what to think of it or my wife for that matter who is old school. But now, we are used to it. It has the same incremental feel as a gear shift so....But then again we've never had vehicles with the gear shift in the center console before so to me having that in a truck is just as weird as The Knob. It certainly takes up less room than that of a steering stalk or center console shifter.

rjstractor wrote:
Heavy trucks with Allison automatics have used push button shifting for many years. Kind of like push button start, I really don't see what the big deal is.

Diesel Pusher motorcoaches are the same.

Nolan wrote:

rjstractor wrote:
Heavy trucks with Allison automatics have used push button shifting for many years. Kind of like push button start, I really don't see what the big deal is.

Same here. Don't see what the big deal is. Don't have the push button on our truck, but have seen them on other trucks. Do have the push button starter on our truck.

Glad this has been brought up. Nearly every automatic, and auto-shift, heavy duty truck, bus, tour coach runs a push button control pad.

There's nothing "un-truck" or "unmanly" about push button shifters. In fact, only light duty vehicles use linkage shifters...

gbopp wrote:
I found this on a Car Talk Forum:
The following U.S. cars had pushbutton automatic transmissions:
AMC Rambler & Ambassador (except American) 1958-1962
All Chrysler Products 1956-1964
Edsel 1958 (upper line Corsair and Citation only)
The Rambler and Chrysler products had the pushbuttons to the left of the steering column. The Edsel had the pushbuttons in the steering wheel hub.

Also, The 1956 Packard had a push button transmission.

I'm learning a lot of useless information from this thread. :)

Ford also used a Push button gear selector on some of the Mercury lines in the 1950s.

My Dad had a 1958 Monteray (SP) 4 door, had two speed transmission and the gear selector was on the left of the dash near the door.. If I remember correctly it was even a push button to start the engine.. Big silver button on the bottom of the gear selector..

Dad Found a 1957 Turnpike Cruiser for my older brother in the 1970s when he got his license.. Pretty cars..

mowermech wrote:
For information purposes, the Chrysler push-button shifters worked very similar to the pushbuttons on the old radios; each button moved a rocker to a preset position, which moved a cable that went to the transmission. The cable was attached to a hydraulic valve inside the tranny which selected the direction of oil flow. The oil pressure activated the proper clutch or servo to put the transmission into the desired gear.
Since AMC used Chrysler automatic transmissions, their system was the same.
I do not know about Edsel, never had to work on one

AMC did not use Chrysler automatic transmissions until the early 1970's. Prior to that, they were Borg-Warner.

coop man I hate auto complete!!! LOL

Chicken coupe!

I want to see a picture of that :B

Talked to Dad tonight and he said the Monza had a little lever RNDL with no parking pawl. You had to use the parking brake to hold the car in place. His other Corvair (parts car) had the push buttons. It was the one us boys used to play in behind the chicken coop* when Dad was at work lol.

Don