Dating stick??

When I started this thread I had no idea that this feature was so well hidden. Do you think it was really to exit the car from the right side? I've seen lots of talk on the barn about the lock only in the right door. Maybe old Henry was only thinking about our safety.
 
I was told years ago that you could use this feature to chain the lever to the steering column to prevent theft.
 
marty in Ohio said:
When I started this thread I had no idea that this feature was so well hidden. Do you think it was really to exit the car from the right side? I've seen lots of talk on the barn about the lock only in the right door. Maybe old Henry was only thinking about our safety.
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I think it is purely a coincidence of design.

Someone please show me where this "feature" is described in any original Ford literature, and I'll believe that it was an intentional design feature.

As for exterior lock only on passenger side / exiting on passenger(curb) side, this was common on cars before WW II, and on trucks well into the 1950's... my '54 Chevy 3/4 ton still had a single external lock, on the passenger side, as did my 1961 Willys pick-up. I think VW Beetles into the '60's had only a single exterior lock on one of the door handles... can't remember which side though.

Fast-forward 70-some years, my wife's 2000 Neue Beetle and 2005 Chevy Colorado pick-up have only a single exterior lock... on the driver's side.

Watch B&W movies from the Silent era through the 1950's, and you'll see lots of instances of people exiting / entering from the passenger-side, and sliding across the bench seat... ( oh, those are gone now too... )

:cool:
 
I thought it was kind of funny, the first time I saw it in a movie, some elegant, smartly-dressed gal scooting across the front seat to exit on the passenger side. Makes good sense to me. Can't count the times I've seen someone nearly lose a door because they couldn't be bothered to use their side view mirror.
 
I thought I read that while driving on an extended trip in 3rd gear, people would pull it up and shift it over to have more leg room...is that possible?
 
28-31 said:
Any chance someone can post a pic of the shifter in the "swing away" position?
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It really doesn't look like there is more legroom to me.

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This here feature is what my better half likes, a little FW vibration, an out of place stick place just so and ooh, la laa she be happy. That's the reason she likes to sit closer!
 
As Special Coupe Frank said, I have always thought this was an inadvertant byproduct of the shifter design. I also would like to know if it was promoted by Ford.
 
Special Coupe Frank said:
...Fast-forward 70-some years, my wife's 2000 Neue Beetle and 2005 Chevy Colorado pick-up have only a single exterior lock... on the driver's side...
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My 2004 Explorer only has a key lock on the driver's door. Not so handy when you have your hands full and trying to unlock the tailgate! (no key lock back there either.)
 
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