Originally Posted by MNBikeCommuter

Fifty years ago, we used Mobil 10W-40, as that's what the '69 Chevelle wagon and '78 Dodge Aspen wagon used. Dad changed his own oil and drained the remaining drops of the cans (not plastic bottles) into a Gerber baby food jar. We used a wire he'd filed to a point to put a drop between each side plate. It was a bit tedious for kids.

Grease, since you didn't ask, was from a can of pump grease he picked up years earlier. I'm guessing he still has the can. Hubs on our bikes weren't sealed well so 500 miles was about the limit before repacking was needed. We were still going through cones though, which could be picked up at the nearby Coast to Coast hardware store. Today, hubs are much better sealed, and it gets hard to find replacement cones for anything but the current.