Detailing 1n 1998

Bunky

Bunky

Detailing Gnosis
I posted this at Meg's as well but decided to post here too....

I am fairly new at detailing gnosis so I know I have missed many years of knowing how to properly maintain a car finish.

To understand what I had missed, so what was the state of detailing in 1998 for example (10 years ago).

I know micro-fiber was not available (terry cloth was it?) and what kinds of paint protection products (sealants available?). Clearcoat was being widely used at this time. What kind of power tools were people using? Had the PC been discovered by detailers yet?

Detailing seems to have become a big hobby and business over the last 3 to 4 years with the adoption of the PC, lots of product choices, online selling, etc.

Just curious.
 
Interesting thread. If nothing else, I have learned a new word, gnosis. I'm not sure where I will ever use it, though. :D

Actually, prior to the early 2000's, I was still using about the same products as I was for a lot farther back than 1998.
A decent wash mitt.
A decent auto shampoo.
Good cotton terry towels.
A mild polish. Meguiar's #9 most of the time.
A paint cleaner. Meg's Body Scrub is one I remember.
A good wax. Meguiar's Medallion for at least 10 years.
Over the years, I used quite a few LSPs. Mother's, Meguiar's, Eagle One, Finish First, Zaino. Probably tried 50 to 100 at least once or twice. If I didn't care for it the first time I tried it, I gave it one more shot to see if it was operator error. Twice unhappy and it was gone.
I always seemed to come back to a Meguiar's product, though.
Interesting that today, the only Meg's products I use are the APC, #80, and NXT, (for friends, then give them the bottle for upkeep).
As far as machine polishing, I messed up with a rotary a time or two, tried a random orbital of the day and gave it away. Bought a PC around 2002. Good investment, but not an absolute necessity. What the PC does, you could do by hand, but it was a lot more work by hand.
Todays products are easier to use and I think do a much better job, but it really wasn't all that bad before.
It's like I consider most things today.
Good old days, my fanny, these are the good days! :D
 
Now that my son was born last year, and looks alot like me, I had my mom send me the pics from when I was a kid.

Here's a pic of me waxing my first car back in 1983. Back then, it was a matter of trying to find a plain t-shirt or rag that wasn't too dirty to use for waxing. Products/process/knowledge sure has come a long way in 25 years. Check out the cool tube socks :eek:

waxingin1983.jpg
 
I remember trying any OTC product I could get my hands on. I usually stuck to mothers or Meguairs, and finally went to a paint shop and got some 3m products.

I used one of those big random orbital buffers that I am sure really had no purpose other then spreading wax. I used cotton towels, and alot of cheeze cloth.
 
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