3 on The Tree: 1963 Dodge Dart
This next classic comes from tipper Rock On who correctly points out that the Dart comes “complete with factory installed anti-theft device ( 3 on the tree!!!).” And no catalytic convertor for dirty worthless thieves to hack out and sell for scrap metal. Find this 1963 Dodge Dart offered for $5,500 in Santa Cruz, CA via craigslist.
From the seller:
1963 Dodge Dart
condition: good
cylinders: 6 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 123000
paint color: blue
size: mid-size
title status: clean
transmission: manual
type: coupe
Original 2 owner California car.
123k miles
3 on the tree
170 Slant6
New tires/brakes/shocks
See a better way to drive something darty? tips@dailyturismo.com
I had the Plymouth Valiant flavor with a 3 on the tree….. that was a fun car to own when James Brown was doin’ time, a semester of junior college was under $100, and pitchers of beer were $5 at the “we don’t check ID’s” live blues bar.
I’ve been to that tavern when I was 17 years old. Draft beer was 10 cents a glass and there was a salt shaker on every table.
I would love to drive a 3 on the tree someday..
I drove an old Alfa sedan with 5 on the tree. It makes a lot more sense than on the floor if all the potential slop is worked out. The Alfa’s was sublime.
This was the car to have in Hawaii – at least outside of Honolulu – in the 1970s. They ran forever, never broke and drove while everything else that wasn’t a VW bug dissolved into a pile of dust. Even then it was just an appliance that happened to work. Time moved on and left it behind.
Looks like a pretty spartan model even by Dodge Dart standards. But it’s impressively original including the stock radio. The main missing thing is the dash defroster vents, which tend to deteriorate pretty quicky.
Maybe I should create a 3D model of those defroster vents and put it on Thingverse…
A college job of mine in the late 80s was valet parking wealthy people’s cars at 4 star restaurant Remicks in Irvine CA. I drove every iteration of every car over that year and prided myself on nicking only the smallest amounts of weed from stashes in attorney’s BMWs and also never, ever putting so much as a microscopic ding on their cars.
Imagine my duress when a guy pulled up in a flawless 1st gen Firebird and I hopped in, grabbed the PRNDL lever on the steering column and tried – more than once – to put it in drive.
Does anyone but me know that you could’ve optioned your Firebird with a three-on-the-tree? The owner was displeased then paradoxically took pity on me and gave me a column shift lesson …
Three-on-the-tree wasn’t an option. It was standard equipment back in the day. You upgraded to a 4 speed or an automatic.
I was a wee lad at the time with no memories of anything earlier than Jimmy Carter.
When’s the last time you saw one with the original 3 speed in it? Probably not later than Reagan … ?
My 2nd car was a sleeper: 1956 Meteor (Ford), for US clients, it was a coupe, no outside mirrors, radio or direction signals. It had a small V8 and 3 in-the-tree. No A/C but great heater and was a ball to drive. Just needed a quart of oil occasionally. I added outside mirrors and radio, but it was still a pain in CDN winter without signals. These cars were easy to maintain and fun to drive! I still have fond memories and miss mine.