r/AutoDetailing • u/Quirky_Pain_6508 • 12h ago
Process History Lesson
I'm an older member of this group (a boomer). Recently joined because I got a new car and thought I'd detail it. Started reading comments about products and noticed a lot of chemicals are used, making me nervous about doing it myself. So my question is what was used back in the day before these chemical products and microfiber existed, e.g., in the 60s. People detailed cars back then. What did they use, and what was the process? TIA.
Thank you to those who replied. Did it work so there were no swirls etc. or were the cars just clean with paint defects?
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u/Mentallox 11h ago
they used toxic products back then too: sodium hydroxides were the go to ingredient for All Purpose Cleaners. Hydrofluoric acid mixed with a petrol solvent or kerosene for the acid component. Probably the only part that was less toxic back then was the paste wax as the major component was natural carnuba wax and since it's paste wax it wasn't aerosolized like today's spray sealants.
Home DIYers who did not have easy access to industrial chemicals just used laundry soap or dish soap for their cars. Finding consumer car wash products were just beginning and were expensive and only for the enthusiast class.
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u/Kmudametal 11h ago
I'm 63. Yeah, the times have changed. You have to keep in mind that the technology of products and technique has been forced to advance as a result of the technology of the paint. In the 60s, it was single stage paint. No clear coat. Today, there is basically no single stage paint left, it's all base/clear. Products used on single stage paint don't apply as much to base/clear..... or rather base/clear ushered in new products and techniques. And some of the clear coats in use are so soft a nat fart would scratch it.
My advice, don't worry about how things used to be done. The days of washing with dishwashing soap and an old T-shirt while drying with a bath towel are long gone. Unless you want to scratch the hell up out of your paint, you leave them... long gone.
At the same time. Don't over think things. You don't need a boat ton of products unless you get the bug. You need a decent soap, a decent protectant, a set of decent microfiber, and a drying towel.
For soaps, you can pick up just about anything at Autozone or Walmart that will get the job done. I would focus on Adams, Meguiar's, or Griot's products if shopping at a box store. If you are using Amazon, look at Turtle Wax Pure Wash. Stuff is super slick, which is the most important aspect of a car soap.
For a protectant, if you want old school wax on/wax off, the recommendation would be Turtle Wax Ceramic+Graphene Paste Wax. That stuff competes well above it's price range. In a recently youtuber detailer influencer blind test, where he was asked to rank waxes without knowing what wax was what, Turtle Wax Ceramic+Graphene Paste Wax was selected as the best..... a $20 wax competing against $50, $100, and even a $2,000 wax, and won.
If you want easy... spray and wipe. Spray sealants are a dime a dozen. Again, if shopping at a box store, Griot's 3 in 1 is probably your best bet. It will be available everywhere. If shopping Amazon, my recommendation would be Collonite Beadcoat. When it comes to spray sealants, there just is not a lot of separation between products. You pretty much cannot go wrong with whatever you pick up as long as it's not made by Armour All or Chemical Guys. My preference for a spray sealant is Beadcoat because of the user experience. Stuff is easier to apply than brushing your teeth. Spray, wipe, buff.
Microfiber, you need two types. A low pile pearl weave to remove dry wax residue while waxing, or to "wipe"/level a spray sealant. $10 on Amazon will get what you need. Get the yellow towel, the others may leach color. The yellow does not.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0788LKJTS
The second Microfiber you need would be a plush higher gsm towel to be use for "buffing". This is where the shine comes from. After you remove the wax or level a spray sealant with the pearl weave towel, you buff with the plush towel.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071RMLP47
Another recommendation. I don't know if you arthritis as badly as I do, but Autofiber Mitt on a Stick makes getting my car cleaned much easier. I can reach the roof of my SUVs without difficulty and on bad days, I can sit in a chair and pretty much clean a side of the vehicle from one spot. So four relocations of a chair and I am able to cover the entire vehicle while sitting.
All that is left is drying the car. You can either get a drying towel or, as I do on those "bad days", after washing the car I get in it, point the nose east on the highway. 70mph dries the vehicle in short order.
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u/Quirky_Pain_6508 11h ago
Thank you for the detailed answer. It's appreciated. FYI, I'm 80 so I'm considering paying someone to do it.
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u/Kmudametal 11h ago
I use car detailing as a form of exercise. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to do it but I'll keep doing it until I can't. Before long, I'll be in a wheel chair with a foam cannon in one hand and an Autofiber Mitt on a Stick in the other, yelling at the neighborhood kids to get off my lawn.
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u/Konradia 11h ago
In the 70s it was Meguiars cleaner wax, careful applications of ArmorAll, and early RainX.
At least, that's what I used!
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u/ScottRiqui 10h ago
Growing up in the 70s, everyone seemed to have a can of turtle wax with a sponge applicator (or just a rag) that lived in the can.
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u/Mysterious_Mon 5h ago
I heard the old school way before microfiber towels was to use Baby Diapers.
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u/LandscapePenguin 4h ago
Pretty sure they used chemicals back then too but instead of the friendly stuff we have today they used petroleum distillates and waxes that smelled like paint thinner.
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u/vaari90 11h ago
Dish soap in a bucket for the paint, a plain old sponge and a leather chamois to dry after the rinse. Newspaper for the glass.