wmachine

Sorry, I don't know what you mean?

66400

If some one needs an undrilled console plate for a 3spd car they are not easy to find.

Would had made more sense for Oldsmobile to make them all 4spd shift pattern and use a overlay for the 3spd.

Henry

dnmfranco

that's a good point far as the overlay and they are a difficult find.
Actually have a spare still

classicmuscle442

Found that three speed pattern under my four speed pattern on my '65 442 console when I redid it, did not know that was the way they were done. Thought the car had came with a three speed originally.

dnmfranco

yes all like that except 64 I believe.
But since the three speed was the un-optioned tranny I guess it makes sense, most paid the extra for the 4 speed.

wmachine

Yes, they are all like that, '65-'69. I think the 4-spd being the added one tells us how uncertain they were with what direction the high performance scene was going. Sure, our 20/20 hindsight tell us the 3-spd plate should have been the add-on. But look at where things were in '65. The first Muncie 4-spd came in '64. The first production Olds Hurst 442 shifter was the '65 3-spd variation. The T-400 automatic was still over a year away. I'm sure they did not expect the 3-spd manual to be left in the dust like it was.

FWIW, the 3-spd manual is pretty cool mainly for its rarity. But it was rare for a reason. It is an interesting setup to drive. But it is no-way as good as a 4-spd. Driving mine constantly makes me feel a bit like I'm driving a pick-up, with gearing and shift pattern being what it is.
But it is good, because it is still a stick!
"If you don't have a clutch, you don't have much" Yeah, I know. I'm a stick snob.

wmachine

Actually, most paid for the automatic starting in '67.