Picture of the day - July 15, 2008

An "old-style" motor oil can

Photos by Rick Rouse. The younger generations are used to buying their motor oil in a nice, easy to open plastic bottle. Simply twist the cap counter-clockwise to remove it, then pour the precious liquid into the car's engine. It's a pretty simple process really. But it wasn't always that way... I started driving in the mid-1970's, and back then motor oil came in one-quart "oil cans" which were small cardboard cylinders with metal tops and bottoms. Since there was no lid to open, we had to use an oil spout to get the can open and the oil into the car. Those oil spouts were pretty nifty devices. To use one, you "lined up" the sharp point on the spout with the edge of the can and pushed down with moderate pressure. If all went well, the point neatly pierced the metal top of the can and the spout attached itself to the can much like a small funnel. Then you could turn the can up and pour the oil straight into the car. But if things didn't go so well you had a mess on your hands (as well as on the car engine and everything else the oil happened to spill onto.) Talk about messy! Those old-style oil cans and oil spouts were replaced years ago by the plastic bottles we are all so familiar with these days, but my nephew Shannon recently got his hands on a few quarts of Arco motor oil. Seeing that unopened can and matching spout really brought back some memories! As you can see in the second photo, this particular can of oil is 30 weight and it sold back then for just 39 cents! Oh, the good ole days!     Visitor Comments...   Name: Winston "Rocky" Rockwell Town: Kirkland, WA Rick, I remember those old oil cans! Mind you, I also remember gas at 24 cents a gallon, too… even 19 cents, during the occasional "price wars", when the various gas stations used to compete for business by dropping their prices as low as they could go. That was, of course, long before all the big oil companies bought up all the independent stations, and station owners could set prices as they wished rather than being dictated to by distributors. Actual competition in the marketplace? What a concept! Anyway, thanks for the reminder of a simpler, less hectic time… Cheers, Rocky     Name: Ron Trees Town: Spokane, WA Hi Rick, Yep, thanks for the memories!! I have never used oil in the can like this since I started driving, but I can remember my parents and grandparents using this set up. Thanks, Ron   Click here to comment on this picture.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!                                 Place the "Picture of the Day" on your website, for free! Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"