70′s Car Wash

70s car wash

The history of American car washes now covers nearly a century based on published history; however, any exact (depending on the source) dates are confusing with dates for some developments, most commonly dates for introduction of advancements in the technology, often claimed by various company websites.

1900s to 1930s

By newspaper accounts, the first commercial car wash opened in Detroit in 1914. In essence it a manual wash where the customer’s car was pushed around a circle to stations for the various phases of washing, a sort of “Merry-Go-Round.” Growth was understandably given the fact that before World War I there were fewer than one million cars in the US. After the war, the number of automobiles leaped to 20 million cars by 1925. It has been reported, depending on the source that the first conveyor driven automatic washes appeared in the late 1940s to 1950s.

These “conveyor” car washes consisted of tunnel-like buildings through which customers (or attendants) drove the car. By the mid-1940s, there were approximately about 30 of these drive-through in the US. In 1946, in Detroit, a semiautomatic system was introduced that hooked to the bumper of automobiles and pulled it along tracks.

Moreover, the design included an overhead water sprinkler and three sets of manually operated brushes. After washing and the rinse, and a powerful (50 hp air blower served to dry the car. Post-World War II, the industry grew quickly and in 1955, a group of about 60 owners met and formed the Automatic Car Wash Association (ACWA) now part of the International Car wash Association (ICA).

1960′s to 70s

Coin-operated self service appeared in 1962 and now self-service bays in the United States out number automatic bays and tunnels combined. Early in the 1970s, a monorail system was introduced and more significantly this new generation of car washes operated with an overhead track that ran above the car. It was powered by an electric motor and run through a series of stepper switches that controlled the stage, wash, rinse, or wax application (introduced in the late70s).

1980s and Computers

The “Adjust-O-Matic”, introduced by Oasis Car Wash Systems, automatically adjusted to the length and width of the vehicle. Most importantly, this system included the introduction of the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) as the computer entered the industry. With introduction of PLC, many control problems became a thing of the past and they began to offer more wash functions and combinations than had ever been available.

Older automatic car washes built prior to 1980 used brushes with soft nylon bristles, which tended to leave brush marks from nylon deposits in the shape of a bristles on the vehicle’s paint. As a result, many in the US are now utilizing either cloths or closed cell foam brushes. Both are not harmful to the car’s finish; however, a cloth system must be flushed with enough water to remove the grit between washes. Foam brushes do not hold dirt or water and are even less likely to harm the painted finish.

The Present

Whether tunnels design, single bay automatic, or self-serve, the soaps and other cleaning solutions used in the past had to be very strong in order to loosen and eliminate any form of dirt or grime. However, with prodding from the EPA, there has been a strong move in the industry to shift to safer cleaning solutions.

Now, by law, a car wash is required to treat and/or reuse their water and can be required to obtain waste-water discharge permits. Unregulated facilities, even driveway washing, use more water than a car wash and waste-water can end up in storm drains and, eventually, in streams, rivers and lakes.

Over the years, since the first car wash Automated Laundry in 1914, automated car wash bays have developed into an immense number of systems, each competing with the other for profits and customer satisfaction. The U.S. has 66,000 fixed car wash bays and 12,000 mobile car wash units – Full-Service, Drive-Through, Coin-Operated, Flex-Service, Quick-Service and Mobile-Operated car washes are only a few in the competitive market. But all the categories can be classified under four basic systems, roughly termed as self serve, drive through, roll over and full service.

The most basic, of course is the self-serve car wash, where you coin-operate the system yourself and choose the cleaning functions for your car. These use timers to shut off water and soap after a particular time and charge extra for more water. But people don’t very often find space and time to go for self service and hence, the drive-through car wash bays have become the most popular systems in the country. These systems are operated by conveyor belts, and the cars go through different stages of cleaning, like rinsing, soaping, waxing and drying, at particular points in the conveyor.

The rollover systems are found next to gas stations and use unique electronic equipment that sprays water, detergent and wax over the car without using any brushes. The most expensive is the full-service system, which uses both electronic and hand car wash systems to give your car a thorough cleaning, both inside and outside. While your car passes through the conveyor belt, men flit in and out of your car at regular intervals to clean its interiors as well. This system also includes what is popularly known as the detail shop, which washes the car using machines or men before the employees polish and wax the car using a buffer. This is an extremely effective car wash system, as it takes off even small scratches.

70′s Cars

70s cars

The golden age of muscle cars was between 1964 and 1970. In these six years, manufacturers such as Ford, GM, and Chevrolet were constantly changing the design and function of these 1970′s cars. However, no one knew the road that the muscle car would take. The death of muscle occurred in the late 1970′s. The problem involved a changing market; consumers were tired of the gas-guzzling V8 engines on their old muscle cars. Many consumers were looking for a more affordable car in the 70′s than they had been in the 60′s.

These were not all the reasons for the death of American muscle. In 1973, the United States of America had an oil crisis because of OPEC. Fuel shortages, record gas prices and long lines at the gas pumps were some of the countless discomforts that the American consumer had to deal with to keep their 1970′s cars running. 1978 model cars were hit with a law passed by Congress forcing a higher minimum-mpg goal or be forced to pay heavy fines for not doing so. This was a pain for manufacturing vehicles because as we all know, these machines don’t ever have the most efficient miles-per-gallon ratio.

The demand for muscle-cars deflated quickly because the high inflation on the sticker prices on all of the cars. Manufacturers did this because they knew that the muscle car was dying, and that 1970′s cars would turn out to be small, fuel efficient, and economical compared to a decade ago.

The only muscle cars that appeared in the 1970′s were pony cars. Ponies are basically a cheaper and smaller sports car that appealed to consumers who wanted the speed of a sports car without having to pay the price. The only pony cars that remained during the 1970′s were the Chevy Camaro, the Pontiac Firebird, and the Ford Mustang (the second edition). These vehicles, specifically the Ford Mustang II, were sizably downgraded because of the energy crisis. This downgrading made muscle and pony enthusiasts grimace.

Nowadays, these 1970′s cars are turning into amazing restored cars. Many people are restoring these beautiful machines. These old muscle cars from the 1970′s are finally in the limelight that they deserved 40 years ago.

Fortunately, old muscle cars are not dead, they’ve only faded away. Many 1970′s cars are experiencing a resurgence as restored vehicles.

Looking back, the 70′s were a decade of changing tastes, especially in the automotive industry where new directions were taken. The advent of the compact family car and the development of the muscle car in the USA are just some of the contributing factors as to why the 1970′s have become memorable years. From the Datsun 240Z through to the Ford Mustang, many of the cars that were born during the decade are still fresh in our memories. Let’s cast our minds back to the best of the 70′s…

Datsun 240Z
Originally sold in Japan as the Nissan Fairlady Z, the Datsun 240Z was the in the first generation of sporty cars with 2 seats produced by Nissan between 1969 and 1978. The 240Z offered a variation in engine sizes, a 2.0L, 2.4L, 2.6L and a 2.8L. Named number two on the list of Top Sports cars of the 1970′s by Sports Car International in 2004, the 240Z was one of the most appealing Japanese cars ever produced.

Pontiac Firebird
Built between 1967 and 2002 by the Pontiac division of General Motors, the Firebird was introduced the same year as its cousin, the Chevrolet Camaro. Primarily, the Firebird was powered by a Pontiac V8 engine up until 1977, but was built using several different engines from the GM division until 1982 when Pontiac engines were dropped in favour of other units.

Ford Mustang
Production of the Ford Mustang started in 1964 and still continues today. The Mustang began production in Dearborn, Michigan on March 9, 1964 and was first introduced to the public at the World’s Fair in New York on April 17 that same year. Ford’s third oldest nameplate in production next to the F-Series Pickup Truck line, the Mustang has undergone several transformations to its current fifth generation.

For many of us, the above mentioned cars are all but a dream. But classic cars can become a reality if you know where to look! Even cars made in the 70s can be roadworthy today; but an MOT is essential, alongside your tax disc, license, and car insurance. Once your car is ready to go, you are free to roam the roads in style.

Muscle car is the name used for a wide variety of high performance cars. Generally, the term muscle car pertains to the American front wheel drive mid-size cars that were manufactured in the late 60s and early 70s. These cars were equipped with powerful and huge V8 engines or the 2 straight-4 engines that share a common crankshaft. These cars were sold at an affordable price for drag racing and street use.

With this in mind, muscle cars can be easily distinguished from the usual 2-seat sports car and the expensive GTs that were projected for road racing and high-speed touring. Muscle cars were a result of the American automobile wars between the late 1960s and the oil crisis in the 1970s.

Those cars were made with huge engines that consumed considerably huge amounts of gas generating close to 500 horsepower. Although handling was poor in many models, the price was considered affordable and the design was quite aggressive. It is important to point out that the cars that remain from this era, are worth a considerable amount of money when they are in good shape. A few of the iconic muscle cars include the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Charger, Pontiac GTO, Corvette and the Chrysler Hemi Cuda.

Aside from building originally and historically on American soil, these cars were also manufactured in the fast developing countries such as South Africa, Australia and the United Kingdom. However, the American models usually hold the most value for collectors.

One drawback to these cars is that they were made for straight-line speed and they did not have a sophisticated chassis. Also, they did not have the veracity in engineering works or the desired flexible look of high-performance European cars. However, there are different opinions as to whether high performance compacts, full-size cars and pony cars can be considered as muscle cars.

The debate about the estimation of the origin of these muscle cars is still on going among car enthusiasts but it was the 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 that acquired the interest of car aficionados when it came to power and speed.