First wash

[briteauto]

The other day I ran into the guy who owned the first tunnel I worked at when I was a teenager in the 70's. It made me think back to how we were cleaning cars back then. He had a Hanna brush tunnel with wrap arounds opposing van brushes,a cloth curtain, overhead brush and rockers.
The blowers had impellers that seemed the size or a small jet airplane and the air was moved through the system with three-foot diameter galvanized steel pipes.

There were two wands (dragged along the side of the car as it passed by)which operated the pre rinse and foamers; and final rinse and wax. Everything was on all the time - blowers, water to all the brushes, every component, except those two arches. Two solution foamers applied soap to the upper half of the car, and 95% was rinsed off prior to any contact with a brush. 100% fresh, ice cold, hard water. Two metal drums - one for soap, one for wax - dropped a tube in each and didn't look back until it was empty.

Forget computers or pos systems - we had an on, wax, roller up and off button. I think a wash was $2.50 and wash and wax was $3.00.

I know there are a lot of guys on this forum that have been involved in washing and manufacturing much further back in time than this, but that is my first memory of the business.

Mike

 

[MikeV]

I remember those days, they hooked a chain to your bumper to pull the car thru, if they missed it, they had to wait for the next one. They vacuumed it as it was moving along at the entry. A steam cleaner for the white walls that blew jets of steam at the tires.....this was back in the 50's. Ahhh..the good old days.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Was talking to my dd and he was telling me that at one time they gided both sides of the cars wheel using 2 rails and then they had to sad a third for wide track pontiacs and then a 4th for compacts until the industry figured out they could guide one side and adjust the equipment for the other.

I remember drag chains, wands - scratched if the rubber tip wore off and wax for 25 cents.

 

[Washmee]

$2 for a wash, $1 with a fill-up. Hot Wax for .50c All bristle and reclaim water, 3 drums, cheater wax, Hot wax and Soap. We had the Sherman Wax-O-Matic aka the "Pinball Machine" to keep count and activate the Hot Wax.

 

[Axxlrod]

Too bad the price of a wash hasn't gone up very much in 30+ years.

 

[troysaffell]

Great stories guys! Its hard to belive that after 40 years owners still wash cars for $ 2.00 and $ 3.00 in some areas of the country.

 

[robert roman]

I started working at a full-service in 1967. My first job was taking off chains and hauling them to the entrance end in a wheelbarrow. We used steam jennys for wire wheels, whitewalls and mats; caustic soap and hand-washing; and the dryer was huge and noisy. Those weren't the days; my Dad's car was a brown 1964 Chevy Biscyane stationwagon with 283 V-8 2 bbl, AM radio, crank windows, no A/C with vinyl floor covering and seats. I'm not sure it had power steering either.

 

[rph9168]

I worked summers at my uncle's wash in the early 60's. My first job was running hook chains from the front to the back of the wash. He only used a simple detergent, a hotsy on the wheels (wide whitewalls were the norm), and each car was mitted by hand as it was pulled down the tunnel. He used straight caustic soda beads for the tire cleaner. I shudder to think the number of rims he would have destroyed today with the combination of the hotsy and the caustic soda.

He sold "hot" wax as an add on for 50 cents. The wax was neither hot or a wax. He used to use 5 gallons of kerosene in a 55. The cashier (my aunt) had to hold a button down as the car passed to apply the "hot" wax. I think he was charging $1.99 at the time but went up to $2.50 shortly after I began working there.

I was a kid then and it was actually a lot of fun. The crew always seemed to be in a good mood and enjoyed teasing me. My aunt and uncle worked 7 days a week - probably as much as 75-80 hours a week. I am sure they didn't think it was a much fun as I did.

 

[rph9168]

One of my fondest memories was Jack Flappan's "turn table" wash in Chicago which was not far from my grandfather's house. He used to wash his car there. There was a severe right angle to get into the tunnel so Jack built a turn table at the entrance. The cars were loaded on the turn table then it turned to face the entrance to align the car for the wash. I don't remember much else but I am sure that it was a slow process.

 

[Earl Weiss]

My family had a place with a turntable at 823 N. Western . Was this the location? Not sure if Flapan built it.

I am currently operating a location he built at Lincoln & California

If so, on the crazy days they could do 75 car per hour full service. The place has since been sold and the tunnel direction reversed.

 

[rph9168]

I was kinda young and really don't remember where it was but I thougth it was somewhere on Roosevelt Road but I can't be sure. All I really remember was the turn table. As a kid I was absolutely fascinated by it.

 

[troysaffell]

Back In the day

My car wash has been in the family since 1970 and I can remember having straight wands that delivered 1500 psi. at 4 gal a minute with no pressure relief, I can close my eyes and still see those wands slinging and slaping cars when the customer turned on the wash without securing the wand. Also we had an Ohio power wash automatic on fixed rail with a stop sign mounted on the L. Its hard to belive there are companies still selling basically the same unit after 40 some odd years.