Hello, Yes, those days in a cool 1950s Oldsmobile sedan called for plenty of car washes. What was not to like? Although a pale yellow Oldsmobile sedan was not the deepest shine color, but at least the Moon Discs were one of a kind and many were impressed with the overall look. Thanks, @themoose It was my first attempt at maintenance, once my brother showed me how to get things in the right place. He knew after I did some work, he would take me where I wanted to go or had to go later on in the day/night. Basketball practice, tennis courts too far away to walk to and from. So, our mom told him to take me where I needed to go. He used this as a way to get me to do some work on his car as a means of payback. Not what my mom wanted him to do, but it worked out for me, either way. Now, I arrived at our own group’s gathering at a park, school event, or night time basketball practice in a cool Pale Yellow Oldsmobile. I kept wondering if this Oldsmobile was going to be my first car in several years. I would come to know this car completely from drilling in the Moon Discs to changing the oil + filter many times. Let alone tons of wax application when the latest, best wax came on the market. (at the time, horror... the best wax was a product called Vista Wax.) Jnaki I can’t imaging using a product like Vista Wax today. But, at the time, was a very popular wax application. But, at the time, it was the best selling wax for my brother's teenage group and old cars at the time. as harsh as the Vista Wax was (could not apply it larger than 1 foot square, before drying, as it stuck to the car and rags)if left on an instant too long, it was a nightmare to take off and left scratches on the paint. But, over time, we learned to use smaller quantities and not gob it on the clean application rag. The one foot square area was about the fastest time to apply and dry, then wipe off before it settled to make it too hard to wipe off. It was that good and bad. The surface was pristine and as deep as any paint can get, it did the job. No motorized buffing tool as the motorized tool was a little kid wanting to go to basketball practice miles away and the nearby tennis courts. The top wax of the day got replaced with a old standard, but pricey for the times, Cadillac Blue Coral Wax. It was the most difficult to put on. Any area past a two foot square plot was going to make the starting point too hard to wipe off completely. But, the wax application was the best and made any surface shine to no end. I learned to do a smaller area and wipe off as fast as I put the next area on the car's surface. A blue/red relic still in our garage drawer to be used for shining up several 60s chrome based designer lamps we still have in our arsenal. Currently, I still have one of the last cans of Cadillac Blue Coral Wax. The wax is still being applied to our old chrome base designer lamps. For weeks after the application to the chrome base lamp, reminders of those fun days from the past is brought back via our noses. The aroma is a distinct smell and lingers for a while. The days of teenage discoveries was always fun. In September of every year, our group always went to the opening day for the Pomona Fair noted as Los Angeles County Fair at the current Pomona Fairplex property. (The history goes back many years before us as my brother would attest.) It wasn’t just rowdy school ditching boys, but the girls knew about our past days of not going to school, so we could all go to a teenage adventure in far away Pomona. Here we discovered the latest technology in car wax with a flaming display on a black painted hood. As we all approached the sales display, the guy knew he could impress the girls so, he lit the hood on fire. What???? the flames were not on the paint as a custom paint job. But they were real flames hot to the touch and close by. It was actually on fire and we could feel the heat from the real flames. The sale guy was smiling as everyone was a step back and in awe of the idea of lighting a hood on fire. He wanted to show how his new formula wax was the strongest on the market. It was the first introduction to the old “Classic Car Wax” in the familiar black can. After he doused the fire, he poured water over the surface, cooled to the touch and asked a cool looking girl to slide the cotton rag across the surface. As she did so, the cotton rag slid all the way across the hood and dropped to the lower table. Now, that was impressive. He told us that ever after a blazing fire on the surface, it still held its protective coating. So, I bought two cans and the sales guy had a huge sales day just from our teenage group. Girls and all… One of the original cans is still in the garage “detail” drawer waiting its turn like the old days… For a longer lasting wax for our current daily drivers, the Carnuba Wax once popular in the 60s is used to preserve the shine and water repellant applications. This is bar none, the best product on the market. Proven in 24 hours a day coating in salt water testing and long lasting protective coating we have use on our sailboat living on the water. Easy to apply, easy to get off the surface and protects like no other. It lasts almost 8 months of constant daily/nightly salt air, moisture intrusion on all surfaces of a sitting sailboat floating in the salt water... On our daily drivers, it lasts over a year. Forget those name brand automotive products, just because a so called celebrity uses it. This Colonite product is the ultimate protection product and it goes on/off with ease. No more sore arms and elbows as well as a leaning over sore lower back, as it goes on/off without much straining... YRMV
I remember paying 42 cents a gallon for Sunoco 260 in 1970 for my 396 375 Nova. Merry Christmas To All and thanks for all the great posts.
The Jalopy Journal
