is there such a thing as a stick shift van?

[Guspuppy]

Or a stick shift class c? <br />That's not 50 years old and needing a lot of repair?<br />Thanks!

 

[Guest]

Yep, they are old though...not maybe 50 but how about 46? My 1966 Ford E100 was three on the tree....

 

[Pikachu711]

The last van I drove with a manual transmission was a&nbsp;1979 Volkswagon cargo van that was assigned to my unit while I was in the USAF&nbsp;stationed in Belgium. It was a fun&nbsp;van to drive too.&nbsp;&nbsp;

 

[McBe]

Mazda 5 minivan comes with a standard transmission.

 

[Johnnomads]

The last stick van i ever drove was a 75 E 150 shorty wheelbase. It was a 4 on the floor. I owned a 67 Ford Falcon window van, with a 3 on the tree shift. I do recall that Chrysler built a stick minivan in 1980, but was discontinued after 1 year.
Modern auto boxes are very good, and get similar mileage to stick shifts, but manufacturers originally moved to auto boxes since it was more difficult to get a stick vehicle emission compliant, during EPA testing.

 

[Seraphim]

Not a van, but the last truck i recall was a 79 full sized 4x4&nbsp;Blazer.&nbsp; Hadn't thought about it recently, but that would have made a nifty boondocker...<br /><br /><br />Kind of wish I still had it.

 

[Fireweed]

VW made a number of vans with a stick shift into the 80s. Also Toyota vans like the Previa minivan were available with a standard transmission into the 90s, very limited availability. The Mazda 5 is a minivan that is currently produced, rumor has it it's available in a 5 speed, but it's kinda small space wise. As far as full size vans. . . the Sprinters made by Mercedes come in a manual version, but I'm not sure they are available in the US market.<br /><br />Hope it's helpful.

 

[may pop]

Company vans are often driven by some of the lesser employees. So to make them easier to drive and more reliable (no burned out clutches) they have all become automatics.

 

[Ballenxj]

My old 67 GMC had a three on the tree and straight six engine. <br />It was a short wheel base van that I wish I still had. <br />-Bruce

 

[Simran]

Dodge put a standard pickup 4 speed in some of their Tradesman Van's as late as the 80's.<br />I looked at a couple of these when I was looking for a van to convert but neither was in good enough shape to warrant a conversion.<br />If you are in the SW part of the US you may find a nice one that hasn't been molested to much. I wanted one badly but just couldn't find a nice enough one to convert.<br /><br />gus

 

[Ballenxj]

<span id="post_message_1275057242">Dodge put a standard pickup 4 speed in some of their Tradesman Van's as late as the 80's.

<br />This sounds like a very good candidate for a project. You could then install a later factory five speed overdrive transmission behind a good running 318 and you should be good to go. <br />You will now have eliminated the notorious weak four speed automatic troubles, and still be able to get descent fuel economy for a van. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />&nbsp;<br />This would also be great for going down those steep roads in a lower gear.<br />-Bruce<br /></span>

 

[Journeyman]

The only one I drove was a 1960 Dodge van with three on the tree.<br /><br />

 

[Guspuppy]

Thanks for all the answers! Looks like more options (even if old) than I had expected.

 

[ParadiseParrot]

I had a 3 speep plus creeper in my work van it was a 80's Ram 318