Some of us older guys may find this of interest

[neil 2,409]

Take a look at this site if you are interested in old garages & petroleum info , its a historical insite of vintage garages. some of us older guys may find this interesting

http://www.vintagegarage.co.uk/index.htm

[rmaynard 15,407]

Very interesting. Brings back the memories of actually driving into a "filling station" as they were called back then, and getting your gas pumped, oil checked, tire pressure checked, and windshield washed, all for free and with a smile, by a guy wearing a bowtie and cap.

[neil 2,409]

Some of those old type garages still exist here in UK , but sadly they are slowly dying out ,

only the other day i went into a garage to get some fuel and an old guy climbed out from under a car , wiping his hands on an old rag , wearing a pair of oily overalls , He was smartly dressed under his overalls with a shirt & tie and well polished shoes , He then went on to write me a written receipt and then put my money in an old metal tin and then put it under the counter.and then crawled back undereath the car that he aws working on.

It brought a smile to my face when i looked into his workshop and noticed all the old tools that he was using with old stickers all over his tool box.

It brought back some wonderful memories of my childhood

[Don1977 604]

I remember the old hand pump gas pumps with the gallon gradations inside the glass. There was a Esso station like that about a mile from our house.

[6wheeler 603]

When I was 17, I worked at a "Clark" station. I can still remember our greeting. " Welcome to Clark, can I fill it up today? Check that oil for ya?" Then I would clean the windows and headlights and taillights, and look at the tires. "left rear looks a little low, pull over by the air hose there and I'll check em' for you". Man, those were the days. Pat

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,294]

Not exactly vintage stuff but in 1982 at the age of 16 I was a gas station jockey at an AMOCO station. I pumped gas, checked oil, washed windows..etc. I wore a uniform with a name tag but no bow-tie.

It was a great job for a young guy!

Mike.......

[AMC RULES 37,125]

As a teen, I remember one of my first jobs pumping gas during the summer of '79, the era of Carter's "energy crisis" days.

Anyone remember that fiasco?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_energy_crisis

Similar in nature to the original "oil embargo" crisis in '73, I can remember the line up of cars entering the station as far as the eye could see...only to be told "I'm sorry we're out of gas now."

Boy what a mess that was, I don't think gas stations have ever been the same since.

[Zeek 2,286]

That's cool, but this guy freaks me out a little

[squonk 41,010]

That's cool, but this guy freaks me out a little

I think that picture was taken in Illinois!!

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,330]

^{I think that GUY is a girl??}

[6wheeler 603]

Craig, thats the era I worked in too. I remember we had a magnetic sign we would put on the last car we could serve that day because we were only allotted so much gas for the day. We opened at 5:30 am and there would be 10 or more cars lined up on the drive waiting at 4:00am. When you had to cut off the cars it would get pretty hairy around there. People would actually remove the sign and put it on their car. When I started there in the spring of 1978, gas was .65 cents a gallon and smokes were .65 cents too. Pop was .35 cents and candy bars were. 35cents also. We had light gray shirts with black uniform pants, the shirts had the Clark logo over the left pocket and a glued on name tag over the right(so it could be removed and the shirt re-used for new employees). We used to carry "wads" in our pocket consisting of $25 in ones, $25 in fives, and $20 in tens. And a changer you wore around the waist with pennies dimes nickles and quarters in it. We made all the change right on the drive. When i used to order gas, we were allowed 1300 gallons of regular and 900 gallons of unleaded per day. The transports only came in at midnight. But, people would actually watch for them. Neil, I wish I could find those signs. Those would be something to have for me because they were professionally made and had the Clark logo with the words "SORRY- OUT OF GAS FOR TODAY". I do have some old gas signs around here somewhere, I'll have to try and dig them up.

[flyovrcntry 115]

I ran across this while doing a search.I worked in gas stations after school,then part time after my full time job.

There's a memory I have about Vietnam that's always there when someone mentions gas station or service station.I had just arrived in-country and was in the back of a deuce and a half going to my new unit.We were going down this dirt road with nothing on either side but jungle and a few hooches.I was looking out the front as we were coming to a little village.I notice this sign up ahead,it was one of those metal Shell Oil signs on a wooden post.That was the weirdest place to see a shell sign,because there were virtually no cars to speak of.Well when we got up there,it was a guy with a 55 gal drum and a hand crank pump,there was a little Honda motorbike gassing up.LOL,needless to say,there was no garage,just a little hut of c-ration boxes and grass.The folks liked those c-ration boxes for covering their walls,the boxes were wax coated.

[Jim_M 178]

Let's not calll ourselves old guys.....Let's say "experienced" instead.

[neil 2,409]

sorry if i have offended you  Jim ,  i didnt actually say OLD ,   i said Older .

[Charlie Smith 142]

Hey! Some of us younger members found this interesting too

[Jim_M 178]

Neil,

 No offense taken whatsoever, just joking with you.

Jim

[JC 1965 1,530]

I remember when gas was .20 cents a gallon. I had just started driving then. A bottle of coke was .5 cents and a large candy bar was .5 cents. much larger than candy bars today. I'm pretty sure minimum wage was .75 cents per hour back then.     

[AMC RULES 37,125]

For reference...what year was that Jerry?  

[flyovrcntry 115]

When I was 16 my dad bought me a 56 ford ,black and white 2dr hardtop.I wasn't a crown vic and it wasn't an old cop car,it was just that color.I don't know what size tank it had,but I filled it for 3.00.I better make that clear,three dollars.By the way he bought the car for 100.,and I was working for 1.25 hr after school.I was one of only a hand full of kids that had a car to drive to school.I drive by the same school today and there is at least 150 cars parked in the student parking.

[AMC RULES 37,125]

  Probably a thirty gallon tank in that ol' Ford too.    

[DOC in Kentucky 178]

I worked at a gas station my senior year in high school back in 1973. I had to work every Friday evening and that's when the big truck would come in to fill the underground tanks for the week. I then had to call the owner and tell him what was printed on the receipt from the tanker and he would call me back and tell me what to change the pumps and sign to in order to charge the correct mark up for the weekend. I remember sometimes the truck would not get in to real late and put a damper on my Friday night activities and I would be so mad. Now days the price changes hourly and without even a delivery!!!

[JC 1965 1,530]

For reference...what year was that Jerry?  

That was 1960 but I could be wrong about the minimum wage that was a long time ago. You know what they say, ( the mind is the first thing to go )    

[Jim_M 178]

I must be WAY younger than the rest of you. The first gas I bought with my own money for my own car was .32 a gallon.

[zieg72 209]

Not exactly vintage stuff but in 1982 at the age of 16 I was a gas station jockey at an AMOCO station. I pumped gas, checked oil, washed windows..etc. I wore a uniform with a name tag but no bow-tie.

It was a great job for a young guy!

Mike.......

I did the same at a Mobil station, no tie but I had the striped shirt.  Got to drive the tow truck home on the weekends, thought I was cool... Even took it to the drive in with my girlfriend.

[SALTYWRIGHT 859]

I PAID $20.00 FOR MY FIRST YEAR OF INS. 1945. GAS WAS 8 GAL. FOR $1.00 I PAID $5.00 FOR MY FIRST CAR, A 1929 NASH WITH WOODEN SPOKE WHEELS.I WAS BORN IN 1929 AND HAVE BEEN MARRIED 62 YEARS LAST MARCH.