Expound on This

[SlingLow]

Well, dad passed when I was 12 and mom didn't want me to drive until I was 40, so I was going to say my older brother's 63 Ford F100, 3 on the tree he ran in high school, then I realized there were a bunch of mini-bikes and dirt bikes before then. Like @moparedtn said, it's just something you watch, then do.

I'm amazed by the number of younger people who say, 'I don't know how'. Well, you didn't know how to breathe when you dropped from the womb, but you figured it out right away didn't you? If you can't learn to drive a stick, how did you learn an entire language? Quit before they start, then call doordash to stay alive.

Rant over.

 

[Dave6T4]

I learned on my dad's 1954 Ferguson tractor on the farm. I was likely 8 or 9 years old. My first car that I bought at age 16 was a 1939 Buick coupe, so no automatic in that one.

 

[Rockland71GTX]

When I got my learner's permit Dad took me out to learn in his Datsun 210. That ended up being my hand me down and my brother got Mom's Ford LTD so he never really learned to drive a stick.
When my daughter got her permit I took her out in my '01 Mustang. She's always had automatics since then but she can drive a stick if need be.

 

[PlymCrazy]

I was around 9 or 10 years old but I can't remember which vehicle I actually learned on first.
At the time dad had a '53 Chevy 210 with a column 3-speed and he'd bring his tractor trailer home and give me some shifting time in that too...
Those are my earliest recalled experiences.
Took my road test at 16yo on a 5-speed.

 

[VANDAN]

In 1968, when I was 14, my dad took me out to the Scotia Barrens, an abandoned strip mine, which decades earlier had been a prime source of iron ore for the Pittsburgh steel mills. So I started out with off road driving, in a 1960 Valiant, with a 170 cubic inch slant six, and three on the floor. The Barrens are the site of an upscale housing development today.

View attachment 1548231

Cool Car !!!

 

[Tony Tee]

I learned on a 1970 honda ct70 manual transmission version of coarse! Easy peasy!

 

[Hey-O]

My brother taught me when I was 12. First three cars were sticks and took my test with a stick. I was taught to make a stick sound and run like an automatic. Lots of practice.

 

[YY1]

Our HS auto shop had two manual trans cars donated.

A brand new 1985 2wd v6 blazer and a triumph gt6+

I learned a bit on those two, but there was a teacher that frequently had us work on his late 70's datsun pickup and that one was the easiest to get comfortable with.

A friend let me borrow his '70 350 4 speed nova one night.

Then the next thing I shifted my self was a 700 interceptor and then a 920 virago.

 

[khryslerkid]

@65Bel

 

[luvabbody]

Was about 8 in dad's '59 Chev Apache pickup. Up and down the driveway when they were't home. Then was I was about 12 dad would take me out on an old sideroad near home and "taught" me on his 1968 Dodge pickup. 3 on the tree in both pickups. First time in the Dodge dad said " you're a natural". How come you learned how to do this so fast. I said from watching him!
So about 1969 in the Chev, 1973 in the Dodge

 

[Rick@Laysons]

I grew up on a farm. All farm tractors had manual stick shift.

When I was about 14, I learned to drive a '63 Checvy C-50 grain truck with a 5x2. Within a week, I could "split-shift" without grinding all the gear teeth out of the rear differential.....

At 17, I got my first Mopar, A '70 gtx console 4-speed car.........the "learning curve" had already been addressed.

 

[65Bel]

@65Bel

View attachment 1548303

It was 1964, I was 15 and out for a ride with my brother in his '58 Corvette. I couldn't shut up about how anxious I was to turn 16, get my driver's license and a car of my own. I had driven dad's Oldsmobile automatic a little bit but nothing else. We were on an uphill grade when my brother stopped, got out and said "here, you drive".

Uphill! The hardest task for a new "clutcher". I didn't like it, but I was definitely game. Had to keep my foot on the brake to keep from rolling backwards until the clutch began to engage and stalled the engine on the first two tries. My brother was giving me that look. After a few attempts, I finally got the rhythm and was able to get going without stalling or rolling backwards.

When I got my license and my first car ('50 Chevy, 3-on-the-tree) I prided myself with my ability to handle any uphill start situation, no matter how steep the grade. All thanks to my big brother letting me learn the hard way.

 

[Hey-O]

('50 Chevy, 3-on-the-tree)

That was the car my brother taught me on!!

 

[Dave6T4]

In 1977, I was asked to join our local V.F.D. The Fire Chief was a neighbour of mine, and asked if I was interested in becoming a Volunteer Firefighter, since I just lived around the corner from the Firehall. He asked me a few questions, the main one being; "Can you drive a truck with a manual transmission?" . When I said I could, I was in!
When I joined, the department had an almost matching pair of 1962 GMC water tanker and 1964 GMC pumper. Both had "W" engines and straight 5-speeds. The pumper eventually got upgraded to a heavier 1979 GMC with a tall deck 427, and 5-speed with 2-speed rearend. I eventually mastered this, and remember that it has to be shifted from 4-low, to 5-low, with a lazy shift, button up, back into 4-high, and finally to 5-high. This pumper became known as "Dave's Truck", because I was behind the wheel about 75% of the time it left the Firehall. Our little tanker was replaced with a huge 2500 gallon tank truck on a 1981 International tandem axle chassis. It was powered by a 350 hp. Cummins diesel coupled to a non-synchronized 9-speed Roadranger transmission. I eventually learned how to drive this, too, but was never really comfortable with it. Luckily, we had a few farmers that had big trucks, and professional truck drivers on our squad that were very proficient with this powertrain. Now the firetrucks at this hall all have automatic transmissions.

 

[72redbird]

1977 in my uncles 75 Chevy 1/2 ton pick up truck. Straight 6 engine, 3 on the tree!!

 

[qkcuda]

Same on the tractor thing, but my first roadgoing standard was Dad's 63 Pontiac Laurentian, six cylinder, 3 on the tree, and then our 63 Fargo pickup, slant 6, 3 on the tree. I think my first floor shift was my 76 Volare Roadrunner, 318, 4 speed overdrive.

 

[Southbranch]

When I was 13, 1973 in my father's 69 4dr Valiant. 3 on the tree/6 loaded with plumbing tools. Then driving my mom's 73 Dart 4dr 3 on the tree /6 after I replaced the clutch at 15 years old. Seeing how the clutch worked improved my understanding of the mechanics and my handling of the clutch

 

[68-500]

I would guess on a tractor. I would also guess when I was big enough to push the clutch. Honestly I don’t remember.

 

[RTDaddy]

1974, old man's 67 Ford puck-up, "3 on the tree," first around the farm, then learning. Naturally one of the first places he took me "learning" was to get caught at an uphill stop light.

 

[moparedtn]

Come to think of it, I didn't even consider farm trucks and tractors and even big mowers and stuff like that...
or the usual sitting in Pops' lap at a very young age and him letting me "work the gears", for that matter....
but I guess all of that was sort of OJT for it as well, eh?