Anyone remember Dupont-7 wax with the coin-opening lid?

clapperc

New member
If you do (or do not) remember… What I have been unable to duplicate is that marvelous finish that allowed any cloth to slide right off with no effort. Much of the new stuff beads the water nicely… But I just can’t get the surface I remember where my hand would slide off the door-handle because it was so sleek!



Seriously need suggestions… Please help!!!



In the past I troll around here for answers… But didn’t find this one!
 
Are you talking Dupont New Car Wax or Dupont straight wax which was similar to Simonize Paste Wax. If I remember New Car Wax in the large can had a key similar to a coffee car to open. It was a very good wax and it came out when Simonize came out with Vista Wax , and Johnson came out with J-Wax, in the late 50s or early 60s. Vista was the most popular , but I think New Car Wax gave a better finish and lasted longer.
 
You are talking about Dupont old No. 7 polish- came in a green can with( red writing on a white circle in front). Sort of the same type of can liquid glass comes in. My grandpa used to keep a few cans lying around. Raindance, Rally, and No.7 were my detailing stash back then. STP protectant & a can of wax and that was a detailing arsenal..lol
 
Dupont #7 polish was not a wax. It was a cleaner polish that back then was very good for cleaning up paint and giving a great gloss . A lot of people would follow with Simonize Paste Wax.
 
Crist Clapper said:
Much of the new stuff beads the water nicely… But I just can’t get the surface I remember where my hand would slide off the door-handle because it was so sleek!



What are you doing to prep your surface before you wax?
 
Dupont-7 the paste-wax. I don't have any issues with the preparation... I've got a great shine... Just not that slick finish. I applied a 50% Carnauba wax yesterday… I’ll be doing the same after each wash. Finger’s crossed!
 
Crist Clapper said:
Dupont-7 the paste-wax. I don't have any issues with the preparation... I've got a great shine... Just not that slick finish. I applied a 50% Carnauba wax yesterday… I’ll be doing the same after each wash. Finger’s crossed!



I was asking about your prep work because its key in overall slickness. If you clay and follow with something that has mild cleaners like Megs NXT, you'll get something that easily as slippery as the Old #7. If you slather on wax on a car that has not been prepped correctly, you'll get a grabby finish. What the older waxes had was a ton of solvents that cleaned the paint. Modern waxes and sealants have very little cleaners in them.



So for the record, you are doing nothing more than washing and applying a wax, correct? When was the last time the car was clayed or polished with a machine?
 
crist clapper- Welcome to Autopia!



Maybe the qualities you liked are harder to find in these post-VOC-reg days :think: Some of my favorite "slick" waxes are now off the market (or changed to the point where they're not as impressive IMO).



There *are* LSPs that leave things *VERY* slick. Four Star's Ultimate Paint Protection comes to mind (I use it on one of my Audis...very slick but not the last word in protection by a long shot), and in the "paste wax category" Collinite's stuff is pretty good in this regard. Finish Kare's FK1000P is sorta a "paste sealant", and it leaves a pretty slick finish too.



Or you could find a Quick Detailer that leaves a slick finish and refresh your LSP with that after every wash.
 
I have to agree with Dan, that whatever wax you eventually end up with, getting the finish pristine by claying and cleaning it is the first order of business.



DuPont's old finish care line was long ago sold off to Borden, then to Armor All who was acquired by Clorox, and finally (until next time) sold to Cyclo Industries (not to be confused with Cyclo Toolmakers, which is a completely different company), who sells some of those old DuPont products under the No. 7 brand.



For an old school wax you might try Cyclo's other ancient brands, Rally and Rain Dance.



When I feel the retro urge, I go with Meguiar's #16 (which was theoretically discontinued in the US but is available if you know where to look).







pc
 
You caught me! Never prepped. My other vehicles are all new... This is the only one I purchased used. The use of "Clay" eludes me as I have never used it. May I ask for your product recommendation?



Dan said:
I was asking about your prep work because its key in overall slickness. If you clay and follow with something that has mild cleaners like Megs NXT, you'll get something that easily as slippery as the Old #7. If you slather on wax on a car that has not been prepped correctly, you'll get a grabby finish. What the older waxes had was a ton of solvents that cleaned the paint. Modern waxes and sealants have very little cleaners in them.



So for the record, you are doing nothing more than washing and applying a wax, correct? When was the last time the car was clayed or polished with a machine?
 
Thank you for the Welcome!



I’m thinking you are correct about my best memories of “Wax” being pre-VOC. Thanks for the product suggestions… I’ll be checking these out for sure.



Accumulator said:
crist clapper- Welcome to Autopia!



Maybe the qualities you liked are harder to find in these post-VOC-reg days :think: Some of my favorite "slick" waxes are now off the market (or changed to the point where they're not as impressive IMO).



There *are* LSPs that leave things *VERY* slick. Four Star's Ultimate Paint Protection comes to mind (I use it on one of my Audis...very slick but not the last word in protection by a long shot), and in the "paste wax category" Collinite's stuff is pretty good in this regard. Finish Kare's FK1000P is sorta a "paste sealant", and it leaves a pretty slick finish too.



Or you could find a Quick Detailer that leaves a slick finish and refresh your LSP with that after every wash.
 
Wow… Thanks for the history lesson. I find it fascinating! A memory jog… I do now remember using Rain Dance when my supply of D-7 became scarce. And now a flash-back to the store where I made the final batch-collection of D-7.



Anyway… Thank you for the product suggestions. I’ll be checking these out too!



the other pc said:
I have to agree with Dan, that whatever wax you eventually end up with, getting the finish pristine by claying and cleaning it is the first order of business.



DuPont's old finish care line was long ago sold off to Borden, then to Armor All who was acquired by Clorox, and finally (until next time) sold to Cyclo Industries (not to be confused with Cyclo Toolmakers, which is a completely different company), who sells some of those old DuPont products under the No. 7 brand.



For an old school wax you might try Cyclo's other ancient brands, Rally and Rain Dance.



When I feel the retro urge, I go with Meguiar's #16 (which was theoretically discontinued in the US but is available if you know where to look).







pc
 
Crist Clapper said:
You caught me! Never prepped. My other vehicles are all new... This is the only one I purchased used. The use of "Clay" eludes me as I have never used it. May I ask for your product recommendation?



Even new cars need claying! I'm confident this will get you the slickness you are looking for. The best clay that can be bought locally is probably going to be Clay Magic Blue, but only Autozone seems to carry it. The Mother's clay is also good and comes with a very nice MF towel, good detailing spray and usually a sample of their cleaner wax, which is a great cleaner BTW. As always, start with a small area and check your results. You'll want to use plenty of lube and no pressure on the clay, just let it glide over the surface.
 
Accumulator said:
At least they do if you don't decontaminate via chemical means.



I myself would say "all newly-acquired vehicles need decontaminated with ABC" ;)



Agree, but we're trying to sell the guy riding a horse a space shuttle here, lets get him driving a car first!
 
Dan- Maybe I'm just so used to the idea that I get unrealistic, but I think that the ABCing (crist clapper- it's basically just washing the car with three different products, which are called "A", "B", and "C") might be *less* to ask than claying :think: People can mess stuff up with clay, IMO easier than they could with ABC. Eh, just me being me....
 
Crist Clapper said:
Here... Reading your banter...



I tend to take the quickest approach to the results I want, where Accumulator takes the proper approach. We have a difference in styles but seem to agree on mutual points. I do agree ABC is the right way, but I also see you are unfamiliar with even clay, so doing a three step decontamination with some rather nasty stuff might be a little too much for your first step. After claying, you'll likely need to do a polishing step as well.



But you want smooth feeling paint... clay will get your there 100%.
 
crist clapper- Since you're suffering through my/our banter anyhow, here's how I see it:



First, I like/use/recommend clay. In fact, I spot-clay at nearly *every* wash! Bear that in mind when considering what follows.



When I used clay for the "rail dust"-type contamination, I sometimes had it come back. Sometimes it came back in a really big/awful way. With the "ABC" stuff it hardly *ever* comes back at all, basically never.



Also, the "ABC" truly cleans the paint in a way that nothing else (at least nothing that's safe to use and basically foolproof) does. Gets the microscopic pores clean.



And I'm a nut about instilling marrring; I hate to polish if I can avoid it and even fine scratches/etc. can drive me nuts. With clay, if/when it picks up a speck of abrasive stuff (like..a speck of rusty iron from rail dust) it can instantly turn into sandpaper. If you don't notice/do something about it you might move that now-abrasive clay across the paint in a way that mars it. But with the "ABC" it's far less likely to go that way, in part because the chemicals dissolve/soften the contamination and the wash mitts used in the process offer a bit of cushioning (at least more than the clay does...there's zero cushioning with clay).



As for "Accumulator does stuff the proper way..." Heh heh, some folks here might say that I do a lot of quick-and-dirty :nono stuff too, but I do try to a) make my work efficient, as in do it once so it's really done, b) do stuff the easiest way (at least for me) possible, and c) use approaches that are nearly idiot-proof (well, I call it "Accumulator-proof" as I'm no idiot ;) ).



Heh heh, Ron Ketcham can give you a *real* earful about why ABC is so great!



EDIT: Just wanted to explicitly state that Dan and I actually agree more often than not, and I *NEVER* want any of my posts to imply that I think he's wrongI'm right about this stuff :grinno: When we *don't* agree it's almost always just some difference in personal preferences or some oddly differing experience that neither of us can really explain.
 
Not suffering... Getting schooled! Been kind-of busy… Snow/salt… Wash… Snow/salt… Wash… Still anxious to implement all the recommendations.



I forget there are other folks with similar (obsessive ) interests. So I thought I’d share my wash-bay.





IMG_0087-1.jpg




I don't use the washer as much as I thought I would. But the air-dryer is the best... No wiping... Blows the water out of crevices… Quicker-readiness for detailing… And reduces water run-off streaking.



Now if I could only get a cloth-sliding finish after the wash!
 
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