Are there trucks with manual trasmissions where the shifter lever is
near the steering wheel (or behind it) or are they always located
coming up from the floor?

Hi cshopsinrun,

My very first car was a 1960 Ford Falcon, and it had "three on the
tree" --meaning three speeds on the steering column.

In these cars, the column shifter evolved into the automatic column
shifter we have today.

Reference below, scroll down to the thumbnailed pictures of the steering column:

http://www.geocities.com/falconfacts/falcon/xkfalcon.html
..."The Falcon?s engine was a 144 cubic inch 90bhp 6 cylinder,
together with a 3 speed column shift manual or 2 speed Fordomatic..."

Also, the phrase:  "3 speed column shift"  --brings up over 1,000
results in Google.
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=%223+speed+column+shift%22&btnG=Search

Thanks for the trip down memory lane...

~~Cynthia

Search string used:
1960 Ford Falcon picture steering "column shift"

yes, old CARS and TRUCKS (pre 70's), maybe in 70's too. They had a
"three on the tree" as they called it. A three speed manual on the
steering column. Not sure years, makes, and models,  but somebody else
may know.

My sister actually had their ford fairmont EA (?) wagon converted from
auto on the floor to the steering column so that they could fit an
extra passenger in the front bench seat. It was about the only thing
with the car that didn't go wrong!

Hi Cshopsinrun,

As you have probably gathered, you are talking retro here. Thanks for
your question as you now have me reminiscing. My first car was a 1963
EH Holden. THE BEST car ever made of course! Although "hydramatic",
the selection was on the tree.

As one of many young hoons, it was a step up to convert your sedan to
a "4 on-the-floor". This might have been achieved using an axe through
the floor pan, straight to the gearbox. Holdens and Fords were the
enemies. There was no other choice. You drove one or the other.  :)

I think that I have located Cynthia-ga's old car. I'm sure that you
will agree that it is a sight to behold.

http://carnut.com/cgi-bin/03/_image.pl?/show/03/nhrr/nhrr136.jpg

Are you wanting to know about newer cars? What is your purpose beyond
your question? Sounds interesting.

Regards, Phil

The Armstrong Sidley Sapphire had a pre-selector gear stick on the column.
- also an oil clutch

There were Peugeots with column change

And the Renault 4 and 5 with the dashboard 'slap stick'

Hell yes!!  Nothing like "power shifting" from first to second in my
buddy's dad's car.  Bench seats, no air conditioning and AM radios.
Anybody for a drive-in -- Memories, oh those memories!!