Do you remember?

[premierplayer]

Gas station attendents pumping your fuel, and checking under the hood?

Oil cans with a stab in spout?

How about glass jars of oil with a screw on spout?
I was a kid, but I can remember seeing these at the local stations, Esso in particular.

This was one of the treasures (for me anyway) I pulled from an old chicken coop in DE this past weekend.

Jar with spout:

Raised stamping on the spout:

 

[crewchief888]

i dont remember seeing the glass jars, but my mom didnt let me go inside "that filthy place"

funny thing is, my hands aint been clean in 30+ years

 

[nolatoolguy]

I wil proudly say i rember alot of things from when i was young but yet its only been almost 20 years. I still do use the same tractors i sat at the windo watching , my dad use.

And yeh i still know how to crank that pump on the oil drum it seems as if those in the country keep it that way

 

[SILVERPLATE]

I do remember well having worked at a service station in the early 70’s. Regardless of weather you pumped the gas, cleaned the windshield, checked oil or at least offered, tire pressure and a quick look at that fan belt for wear.

It was the era of the spout stuck in the can top to pour oil. Cans were metal.

The old glass quart oil jars filled from a bulk container like mine below.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

I'm 55 but I remember all but the glass bottles. I remember SEEING them as a really small child because my Dad took an evening job at a gas station for awhile and we'd drop off dinner to him; but I don't remember using them.

I sold gas at a Sears gas station when I was 16 so...1970(?).We sold Chevron gas, but that was not generally known. I remember selling it at 29.9 for premium during a gas war. That all changed in '73 with the oil embargo. By that time I wasn't working on the gas island, I was working in the store in paint, wallpaper and air compressors. Can't tell you how many near free deals on returned Craftsman (Campbell Hausfield in those days) compressors and spray guns I could have had and didn't care....doh!

EDIT: I was at a garage sale over the weekend and there were several of the oil spouts - the stabbing ones - there were also unopened metal cans of Motor Bath, Bardahl, STP and Wynn's products and it didn't occur to me to buy them. But thinking of it now, I guess those are all true anachronisms, never to return, I suppose.

 

[poprockcrusher]

NJ has nothing but full serve

 

[Scout Driver]

I worked at a full service Cenex Co-op station from about 1995 to 1997 when I was going to tech. school. Cleaned windows, filled tanks, checked tires, and added fluids. Gas was under a buck. Had people buy gas with jars of change. We'd never count it untill they would leave. Always took them on their word. They would either be right on the money, or be a few cents over. Always will remeber the guys from the Cenex lab telling us that if a neglected vehicle would need oil, put the cheapest, lowest detergent oil in. Give them good oil, and the detergent would have the motor cleaned out and smoking within days. Then they would then return and complain.
People would drive up drinking beer. Others would have screwdrivers for ignition switches, butterknives for trunk keys. Old people would lock keys in their cars and we would have to slim-jim or coat-hanger the cars open. It would be friggin hot in the summer or rainy or cold or snowing but nobody complained much. Looking back I feel fortunate to have done something that most people my age never got to experience.

Scott

 

[Scout Driver]

NJ has nothing but full serve

Have I heard correctly that its law in NJ for all stations to be full service?

Scott

 

[TheGrooveking]

NJ has nothing but full serve

I found that kind of weird when I went to Newark on a business trip last year. I pulled into a gas station and this hot 18 year old girl came out and told me to stay in the car and proceeded to pump gas. Made me think of the old days when I was a kid, but back then it was never a hot looking babe but some guy in a pair of overalls covered in grease and oil. I bet even if she had been covered in grease and oil she would still of been hot, matter of fact that woudl made her even hotter. Man I need to go back to New Jersey, if not for the full service, then for the pizza.

TheGrooveking

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

I remember those days...Dad had a texaco station and I started there as a pump attendant/grease monkey. Wound up as one of his mechanics. I can remember oil coming in quart and gallon cans (good old Texaco Havoline) and Wynn's engine tuneup was the best thing to use on a clicking lifter. We even gave out Top Value stamps for gas purchases.

Those were the days of points and condensors, there was only two types of auto transmission fluid (Dextron and type F) and manual transmissions and rear ends were places you added "dope" (for you young guys, that was 90 weight gear lube). And yes, we had "Ethyl" and regular (Sky Chief and Fire Chief) and then along came "low lead" gas and the world went down the tubes.....

 

[Scout Driver]

this hot 18 year old girl came out and told me to stay in the car and proceeded to pump gas.
TheGrooveking

Think back carefully, where exactly was this station? Do you remember her name?

Scott

 

[66HertzClone]

Full serve? Well yes we can't pump our own gas, but in my more than thirty years of driving I can remember having the windows cleaned only twice, tires have never been checked. Both times at two different Shell stations, and that was within the past month. One of these stations had a sign posted that if the windows were not cleaned I could get a free can of soda.

 

[premierplayer]

I remember those days...Dad had a texaco station and I started there as a pump attendant/grease monkey. Wound up as one of his mechanics. I can remember oil coming in quart and gallon cans (good old Texaco Havoline) and Wynn's engine tuneup was the best thing to use on a clicking lifter. We even gave out Top Value stamps for gas purchases.

Those were the days of points and condensors, there was only two types of auto transmission fluid (Dextron and type F) and manual transmissions and rear ends were places you added "dope" (for you young guys, that was 90 weight gear lube). And yes, we had "Ethyl" and regular (Sky Chief and Fire Chief) and then along came "low lead" gas and the world went down the tubes.....

ahhh... yes the stamps, Top Value (yellow), and S&H green stamps...


very cool stuff "silverplate"

 

[Fedwrench]

I remember all of it except for the glass bottles with the attached spout. I remember seeing them in older gas stations as a kid but, they weren't being used. I think Oregon is also one of those no self serve gas pumping states.
Back in the day though, gas stations actually were more than gas pumps and a mini mart. You could actually get things like belts, hoses, wiper blades, and other stuff for your car besides an air freshener.
I remember the stamps too and pasting them into books...Blue Chip

 

[bayou985]

Pumped gas at full service station while in high school "60s" oil in glass jars was bulk oil and sold for 10 cents a quart suppossed too be recycled?? damn it sure was dark

 

[egdede]

Gas station attendents pumping your fuel, and checking under the hood?

Oil cans with a stab in spout?

Yes, I pumped gas in 1984 at a full-service chevron, and still own my spout (probably should do something with it).

[/QUOTE]How about glass jars of oil with a screw on spout[/QUOTE]

No

 

[RLRRLRLL]

I worked at a service station from jan. 06 to jan 2010. We had full serve and self serve. Along with a 3 bay garage with 2 lifts. We were either dead...or busy as hell. Which meant be being the young buck out of the crew..id have to be the one to go outside and do the full service thing when we had customers...i didint mind it, made small talk, but when i was in the middle of a job..kinda sucked.

 

[tonydanzah]

Canada still has a lot of full service stations, at least compared to the US.

 

[warpedredneck]

Gas station attendents pumping your fuel, and checking under the hood?

Oil cans with a stab in spout?

How about glass jars of oil with a screw on spout?
I was a kid, but I can remember seeing these at the local stations, Esso in particular.

This was one of the treasures (for me anyway) I pulled from an old chicken coop in DE this past weekend.

Jar with spout:

Raised stamping on the spout:

i was one of those attendants
im only 42 and i dont remember those glass jars
it was one of my first jobs

 

[Mike Honcho]

I actually have 5 or 6 either Pennzoil or Quaker State full cans of oil, that i found at my aunts house in PA about 15 years ago.


Chris

 

[Tim Cowan]

I worked at Shell station (built new one in 62) from 60 to 66. Phone company fleet shop from 69-78. I still have a few metal and cardboard full oil cans and STP and can spouts. I used quarts, gallons and bulk pumps with Brookins cans and flex spouts.
We had to give full service for a bucks worth of gas. The women were more interested in counting S&H green stamps instead of their change. I liked wiping the windshield on the pretty girls cars, but the worst of the job was empting the old oil drain bucket at the back of the station. I dumped about 20 gallons on the curbside traveling back to the drain tank. Today, HAZMAT team have been on top of that like stink on poot.

 

[The Muffin Man]

Have I heard correctly that its law in NJ for all stations to be full service?

Scott

Yes Scott, its the law

 

[Art From De Leon]

Remember the Gulf promise to have an attendent at your car in something like 10 seconds from the time you pulled up to the pump?

 

[Scooterfish]

Hung out at the neighborhood gas station in late 60s. I remember bulk oil in glass bottle (recycled) 15 cents a qt. Took me awhile to figure out why they were always busy on friday night and all the guys had to go to the restroom. Dah! there was a condom machine in the RR.

Was a pump jockey in the early 70s at another station across town. We were 1 mile down the road from a pool/swim club:. We knew which girls drove what car and would race out to clean the windows. Gave out green stamps and if you forgot them you were making another trip back. Little old laddies would come in pouring down rain and say fill it up. Car would take 3 gallons but they had to stop in the rain.

Today I think about all the tools equipment we had access too. Big Snap On tool box, jacks, lifts. The parts cabinets with points, condensors the jobber would come by and refill weekly.

 

[Tantara]

Still my favorite job I ever had pumping gas and making change out of a big leather wallet. It was fun to get to know the customers. I even had one lady tell me she drove by to see if I was working before she would stop in. My buddy Tommy and I washed every front window on every car. Of course we only had two pumps.

Brad

 

[sgrammel]

NJ has nothing but full serve

Oregon too...at least to the extent that you can't pump your own...I guess sticking the nozzle in the hole is 'full' service.

 

[ImportTuner]

Yep, I remember those days .. People would come in for $1.00 worth of gas (it was 24.9 cents a gallon) and I would have to wash the windshield, check the air on all four tires and sometimes the spare, check oil, transmission fluid, and whatever else the customer wanted plus pump the gas .. then before the station closed for the night, you had to clean the restrooms and the women's was always the worst ..

 

[jamesemery728]

I remember those glass bottles well, because my first car was a 1954 Ford that got about 30 miles to the gallon of oil. In the winter you could see the trail of oil dripping from that engine. 1954 was supposed to be the year that Ford (if I remember right) switched from a flathead engine to an overhead valve engine. The car was $50 and my insurance was $300. It was kind of a POS but got me where I wanted to go.

 

[mtwaterguy]

Oregon too...at least to the extent that you can't pump your own...I guess sticking the nozzle in the hole is 'full' service.

That would be for gas. Us diesel buyers are evidently smart enough to pump our own, at least in Troutdale.

 

[Old Donn]

Gas station attendents pumping your fuel, and checking under the hood?

Oil cans with a stab in spout?

How about glass jars of oil with a screw on spout?
I was a kid, but I can remember seeing these at the local stations, Esso in particular.

This was one of the treasures (for me anyway) I pulled from an old chicken coop in DE this past weekend.

Jar with spout:

.
Raised stamping on the spout:

I use one of these on every oil change. Neater than a funnel and a lot easier if the vehicle calls for 1/2 quarts. Example. My Chev Astro and Pontiac Grand-Am take 4 and a 1/2 qts.

 

[Daniel Dudley]

I do remember that you could drive around all night for 75 cents or so.

 

[woody 73]

Oh the good old days... My father would buy a case of 24 cans of oil(Paper oil cans) I would shove the oil spout into the can and run for my life!

I still remember getting free toys for every gas fill up and for the life of me I remember that Green plastic dino (dinosaur).

Funny thing they gave you free drinking glasses darn it I found some this week in an antique store going for some ridiculous price.

I do not remember the glass bottles although I have seen them in antique stores.