Sorry, I got a bit wordy...
George Lucas started it all back in the early 60s when he went to Downey HS in Modesto, Ca. That evolved into the all time hot rod movie classic American Graffiti. We younger guys came in about 10 years later and started "Graffiti Nite, After School Cruse" some 30 years ago. It falls around the first Saturday after school was out. Hot Rods and people everywhere. I'll never forget standing on the top of one of the stores on McHenry Ave looking for miles in both directions at the thousands of people and hot cars. Quite the memory. Things are calmer these days. It's a controlled parade cruse on Saturday morning from 9-11am. then the car show at the Modesto Junior College. We have a BBQ beginning around 5pm. See the schedule of events below.

Modesto Graffiti Weekend Schedule

FRIDAY 6-13-03 (if you're around)
Rock and Rods
5:00-8:30
http://www.rocknrod.com/wc03/wcof03_modesto-rr1.htm

SAT 6-14-03
9am-11am Car Parade (closed street cruise, IE: open headers!)
10am -5pm Car Show http://www.nmkiwanis.org/CarShow.htm
5pm-whenever BBQ at Dalen’s (Details below)
8ish head out and look for cruisers. (they invade the town) Since it lasts until Sunday, they don't all head for home Sat night. Usually something is going on downtown.
They also show cars on Sunday, but we’re talking about Saturday.

There is some HOT HP floating around Motown this time of year. Makes driving through town very interesting at times. Here are some photos from last year.

http://www.rocknrod.com/agcs02-show/index.htm
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/dan_golf_101

BBQ Details
We'll host the BBQ at hour house from 5pm-whenever on Sat 6-14-03.
We’ll have burgers, dogs, punch and some kind of desert (perishable that others couldn't bring since they'll be in the car all day). Attendees can bring something to eat and drink if they want something special. (I'm not opposed to beer and wine, but remember there is driving later...)

I'll see if we can get my B.I.L. to bring his 38 Buick recently restored. or his 56 Cheby Daily Driver. But, there will be plenty car talk going around and even a few Porsches to gaze upon after looking at American cars all day. Then after we get tired of each other’s stories, we can hit the road and see what’s cooking on McHenry!
Schedule subject to change (because I said so..)

Disclaimer: It’s illegal to ‘cruise’ McHenry Ave. A cruise is defined as more than one trip up and back on the main drag. (Or however they decide to define it for that night)

This invite goes out to Porsche owners (or just plain car nuts) in the Northern California area (further if you want to make the drive!). RSVP to Dan Dalen dandalen@yahoo.com and I’ll send you instructions for finding us and the other activities.

I'm in.

Sounds like fun and I can visit my friend "Bub" while we are out there. Hopefully it wont be blistering hot.


B

We'll turn on the sprinklers

Actually, right now it's not bad out there. Andrew is pulling the carbs off the engine and preping to clean the cooling fins. We'll be putting FI back on.

Im in! Ack not enough time in the day!!! Let me count the projects I am trying to complete in 3 weeks... custom new carpet in the interior, fabricating custom seats, installing harness's, por 15'ing the floor's, Fixing the battery tray, por 15'ing and painting the engine bay, Insalling 5 lug conversion while rebuilding calipers and finding 911 'M' style pistons (calipers I bought didnt have any, a detail I missed), Putting on stock fuel injection, and paint the stupid thing(or at least the hood)!! Just to name a few. Currently took off the carbs and taking off the engine tin so I can get my engine clean, ie no overheating, And scraping off the tar on the floors. WHEW!!! All in 3 weeks!!! ARGGG!, Oh ya I better study for my engish final now... :gilloutine:

There's some sort of nostalgia car event going on in Novato this week/end as well. Too bad Brad will be gone.

Jen

Ok, Whats the deal you guys dont want to see big fat V8's? Have you even seen American Graffiti? If you guys are in the area, and have nothing to do, and dont come, you have no clue what your missing. These cars range from 'out of the showroom' to '8 second street machines'. Yes there will most likely be a handful of Porsche's there, Come on!! If your going, say it here, because I know some of you people wont go if no one comes. "Its saterday night, I guess that makes it all right, when you say, what have I got to loose?"
Come on guys, FOOOD

Ha! This thread brings back memories of my first graffitti cruise night in Modesto. I was in a VW bus cruising with three girls that had huge squirt gun water cannons....what a mistake that was. They at these group of guys standing around this El Camino with a blower sticking out of the hood. Next thing I know their ducking and all these dudes see is me driving, wanting to BEAT MY ASS!! Sounded like a Jet was on my tail chasing me through those streets. I finally realized it was hopeless to drive fast so I just found a residential block and circled it about 10 times till they tired and gave up.
The girls realized that shooting at cars with the "big shiny thing" sticking out of the hood was not a good idea.

One of my stores goes into the late 70s. They moved the cruze downtown and made it a parade cruze at night. Now they were packing all the people into half the space. Because it was a parade, we could open headers. I had a 71 Merc (ex) Stock Eliminator drag car with a boss 351 Cleveland motor. Open headers and a very lopey cam made for a fun night.
The part that made me nervous was the people standing on the curb while the cars were doing oil burnouts 3 feet away on a road that was sloped towards the crowd. Kinda reminds me of the Golf Pro Ams that have Michael Jordan slamming a drive thru a tunnels walled with peering eyeballs.

We're still having the BBQ even with a small turnout. It only takes a couple people to have a fun time. Brad or anyone else interested send me an email and I'll send directions.

Thanks,
Dan

Check out what I just found in my grandmothers record collection that she was selling for pennies! Someone pointed it out at a garage sale and I quickly got it from the pile. Its going in my room once I get some signatures on it!!

pic

pic

That is the same album my parents had that I played over and over again.


B

Soooo you were the one who wore it out..... ....Good seein ya again, even if it was for a short bit. Did you check the dates you will be gone ( Mid Atlanta) I think. Thinkin bout rentin a car.......... Dad

That would be Mid-Ohio at the end of this month. Sorry I didnt have more time to BS and hang out. I wanted to get out of there pronto.

B

Mid-Ohio.....need a gopher?

or a somewhat decent but still crappy sometimes photographer?

No problem. I would luv to make that Modesto thing....maybe next year. Caddy should be a lil bit more roadworty then. Besides.....Modesto is probably a a bit tooo touchy for me still..... We will be flyin into Oakland on Thursday mornin ( next week). I think I will rent a car to make things easier. Not sure if the gang is stayin at the Novato Oaks, yet........ Dad

Sean..

We could use some help.. the problem is: (NO MONEY)


B

Opening for volunteer gopher and crappy photographer...finally something I'm qualified for! Would be nice to at least meet a couple of posters.

I'm FREE...read..."doesn't cost anything"

I'll start a new thread.

B

So who all is going to this and when??

I'm thinking about the BBQ on Saturday....

car choice will be the black C2 (I might even wash it) LOL

I'll be there, gosh finally a 'possible' meeting of 914 people in the city I
live in.


And since the Car Show part of the w/e is just 2 streets away....

Well let me see who all is going. Me, Dad (dan10101), Brad (maybe?), Scott (Analloutracer), Jim Cooper, a friend of Dads (has a Focus, not ricy yet, almost), the BIL with his 38 buick, and possibly Mueller. Am I missing anyone? Should be a great time, gona have American Graffiti goin on the tube if someone wants to watch it..

I could bring my tape that has the Grand Am event from the
California Speedway, the event that Brad worked at!!!


Do you guys have the Speed channel?
The 24 hours of LeMans will be on!

That movie always has been one of my favorites. It is an artifact of the Americam way of life. Are there still some memories of where it was filmed like the restaurant or the drag strip ?

the real "dragstrip" is there, Im not sure if the place that the shot was held is still a "dragstrip", but the place they refer to in the movie is not built up, there is farms around. Also the place where they shot the movie, the restrant is still there, but in modesto, the only place that is old style like that is A&W..

Well to be accurate. Modesto doesn't have a dragstrip, (unless you count Santa Fe). Paradise Road does exist and it's just farms and so on. But not open like the movie. A&W is the only place in town with skating waitresses. It's usually packed about right now. Every Friday in the good weather half of the year, the cars go there for a mini cruse nite.
1404 G STREET CA MODESTO
'
But come to our house for the burgers

We're heading downtown to see whats' happening in the Rock and Rod.

Anyone still interested in going tomorrow evening, send me an email and I'll send directions.
dan10101@pacbell.net

Lots of food and goodies to eat. Can't get enough of cars, food and friends. (not necessarly in that order).

Since it appears I've missed a couple people in my email. Here are the directions.
--------------------------------------------------------

Saturday 14th 5pm to whenever

Edited to remove address and phone info..

We had a great time. Sorry we missed a couple due to address snaffues..

Dan

I have fond memory's cruising Mchenry and Grafitti Night.
Back in 81 I was 21 and used to live in Stockton.
If Pacific Avenue in Stockton was dead we would jam to Modesto and cruise Mchenry.
Back then I was driving a mint condition 71 tangerine or burnt orange? 914.
It had a 2.4 liter 4 banger in it with webers.
Everyone else was driving Fords and Chevys.
My 914 came with ski racks and I didn't even know how to ski.
We picked up a lot of chicks in that car.
I had much better luck on the avenue then I ever did in a night club.
Back in 89 I met my wife on Pacific Avenue in my current silver 914.
It's sad but both avenues for the most part are shut down due to gangs and other problems.

Ahwell.....

"It's sad but both avenues for the most part are shut down due to gangs and other problems."

Yes, even though there were a lot of cars out there, they were pulling over people left and right.

Hey we had a great time at the BBQ. Jim Cooper again showed his knowledge of things trivial, and won the trivia contest.

What is the last name of the police officer that regularly gave Milner tickets?

O'Malley
Reed
Holstein
Malloy

Anyway we stuffed ourselves, talked for hours and saw a bunch of cars didn't get pulled over (yet). So it was a good day..

I need to watch American Graffiti again.
The best times of my life were cruising Pacific Avenue and Mchenry in the late 70's and early 80's.
I remember sitting on the roll bar with the top off and yelling at the chicks as they drove bye.
We used to start the night by buying a bottle of Seagrams 7 or VO.
We would each get a bottle of coke and mix it 50-50.
I never got a ticket or pulled over for drunk driving.
If the avenue was dead in Stockton we would drive over a hundred mph on 99 to Modesto in the middle of the night. It didn't matter if it was raining or zero visibility fog we were always out there every weekend.

Well, we skipped the after party cruise. I wanted to take the "Deuce" out but with marginal R tires, loud exhaust, roll bar with bright red harnesses, no front plate and a happy right foot, I was looking at a 'discussion' with a badge. So, we called it a night.

Besides, we missed Saturday Night Live many times in the past and burned gas in my 69 Dodge RT convertable.

My BILs 36 Buick lawnmower.

A couple of Graffiti clone cars.

Last one.
A custom cruiser

Dan, your buick is bitchin'!

I'd like to see more pics of that one.
Dad and I tried buying a guys 37 Pontiac Biz coupe for quite a while and recently gave up.

Very nice.

I wish it were mine..
It belongs to my BIL (Brother In Law)

I put the photos in my yahoo photo album. They're still uploading, but should be done soon.
http://photos.yahoo.com/dan_golf_101

(Didn't get any of the party, we were too busy yaking...)

DanD
(Here's my Ace and Deuce)
http://members.rennlist.org/dan10101

That was fun, although you didnt have to post the pics of me... <_<

cool pix. almost makes me wish i lived up there...(what am i saying)

What do you mean almost??? Doesn't everyone want to live in Modesto?

I wanted to thank everyone for hauling their buns out to the boonies for the party. Sorry for the email glitch that kept some away. I'm blaiming it on the computer.

Yes, there is likely a bigger and better one next year. At least she didn't say NO!