Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot & "the Ditch"

[Harms Way]

This topic was brought up on another forum and brought up old memories,... this is what I posted over there,..... anyone else with stories of the old "Proving Grounds"? ;)

I cruised Woodward, Gratiot,... and Telegraph, mostly Telegraph, I worked at Gratiot Auto Supply Livonia in the 70's and we did a lot of "Testing" on Telegraph or "The Ditch".

I picked up a girl at Korvetts parking lot one night, she insisted she wanted to go with me when I raced someone, I had a factory 67 GT-390 4spd. Mustang Fastback, (blew up the 390 and replaced it with a dual quad 427 side oiler, It was Black on Black with SS Cragars),..

She kept saying "ooh race that one,... no no,.. race that one!"I pull up to the light near West Chicago and a guy pulls up next to me and and rapp's it a couple times,... I look over at her and said are you ready? to which her reply was a giggle,....... We spooled them up and when the light turned green I side stepped the clutch and we went to war,.....

Over the sound of that Big ol' 427 yelling out it's name,... Her screams just about blew out my ear drum, with a occasional STOP!,...STOP!,..WE"RE GONNA DIE!!!!,.... along with more screaming of coarse,..... despite all of the "encouragement" I got from her,... the Ol' black Horse won,...... as We slowed down she started crying hysterically,... and saying "I wanna go back to my friends!".

I take her back to Korvetts and she jumps out of the car and runs over to her friends,.. still crying hysterically,... I go over to explain because they were looking at me like I must have tried to attack her or something,.... They all called me a jerk (or worse) as they were trying to calm her down,... I look back just before I get in the car and I see the back of her light blue pants,... and her butt was dark blue :-\,... I look at my seat, and sure enough,.... I had to go over to Top Hat hamburgers to get some napkins,...... >


Anyone else have any old memories?,....

[shaun callaway]

Re: Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot & "the Ditch"

great story man. i couldnt stop laughing.

[thevic24]

Re: Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot & "the Ditch"

one of the first dates me and my whife went on we were going to the movies. the movie started at 8 and it was 7:30 when we left the house. i had a nice 85 f-150 with 351w and this thing mooooved!!! (best quarter time was 12.17) we hit the innerstate at about 7:40 and had about 20 or so miles to get there. this was the first and the last time she ever went over 140 mph.(thats where my speedo stopped) about a quarter tank later we made it to the theater with about 3 min. to spare. i remember looking over at her while i was crusin along and to this day here finger imprints in the armrest are still there. and come to think about it, it was the first time(and only so far) that she kept quiet for more than 5 min. when ever i bring this up she always gives me a very dirty look-- o well ;D

[olbuddybob]

Re: Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot & "the Ditch"

Telegraph use to be fun before the revenuers arrived

[std]

Re: Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot & "the Ditch"

One night on Telegraph, we were hanging out by Picos Tacos and a couple guys were arguing about who's car was faster. One guy had Can early '70s charger. The other had a '67 GTO. They finally decide they're going to race for money.

We all jump in our cars to watch. Both the cars sound pretty nice to me. We all head down to the service drive on I96. A group of people go up to the parking lot about a 1/4 mile up the road to see the winner.

I want to follow the race so I get lucky and wind up behind the Mopar. We're stopped at the light. Mopar on the left. GTO on the right. The light goes green and they both take off. I hammer it and before I hit 2nd I'm all over the Chargers bumper. I back off and see that no one is next to me. I change lanes and get back into it. When we pass the parking lot, the GTO is a few car lengths ahad of me and I'm next to the Charger.

I didn't go to the parking lot to hear all the excuses, but I was happy with the results.

[racepics]

Re: Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot & "the Ditch"

I have one for the old Ford v Chevy crowd I was 21 and had 72 Torino Wagon
back in 85 that I had stuffed warmed over 428 cj into I had some glass packs that sounded
really good and a late 70's Corvette with a tunnel ram sticking out of the hood
pulled up and started bugging so I said OK fifty a gear at the next light so you
should of seen look on his face when we got to the next light when I had opened
the cut-outs it was priceless we launched and when it was over we pulled into
Mr Fables around back then he asked what I had so I showed him and he said Holy Sh*t
and I had an extra Benjiman in my pocket.

[whiplash]

Re: Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot & "the Ditch"

Now that is funny.....sounds kinda like my story, I got a spot a street off my subdivision that runs long the golf course, no kids, to worry about, I am female, and my friend down the road is female, she has never been in this car, I just learned how to drive it my self over the summer, and I love it.....well I picked her up.....and we went for a little ride....I went to my little personal track....looked both ways for cops, and said....YOU READY? i SAID you know this car has gone in the 9's right? She said whats that mean, I said, well just HOLD ON......
She was screaming, her glasses fell off, she was trying to grap something, like a grab bar, and when the ride was finished, she said, TAKE ME HOME, I am never going for a ride with you again.....I laughed so hard.....
She said, the car lifted off the ground, did you know that? I said, yep, whats wrong with that?
I cannot get her in the car again.....
Oh and the guy who posted his story, were in Michigan also....

[ksj1]

Re: Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot & "the Ditch"

My RoadRunner is basically stock.383 4spd.My son "used"to like it. ;D He went for a ride in a buddies mid 10 second 73 Cuda.When he got out he informed me he didnt like my car as much as my buddies Cuda.The look on his face when I said "I agree" was priceless!

[whiplash]

Re: Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot & "the Ditch"

The guys took me for a ride in a low 8 second car, and my husband looked like I had been violated when I came back, He knew I would never be the same in our Camaro going high 9s...low 10s again, I will never forget that 8 second ride, it was awsome....I wanted to go again ;D I told him dont worry , I still love our camaro, but I think it bothers him because he himself has never gone 8 seconds on the street.....I have to get them to take him for a ride sometime......

[Silver68RT]

Re: Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot & "the Ditch"

Anybody recognize this car? The owner was James Falkiewicz, and the story I got was that he blew the motor street racing it on Telegraph in 1974. It's a dual quad 428 SCJ, 4-speed, with yellow slapper bars. It had different wheels on the back, but he loaned them to a buddy after the motor blew, and never got them back.



Anybody have any pictures from back then? That would be cool to see.

[Eric68]

Re: Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot & "the Ditch"

Cruising graph in the early 80's was an exercise in dodging cops. At that time the idea was cruise telegraph and race on Schoolcraft. That spot at West Chicago and the overpass at I96 (it was BRAND NEW in about 84) were MAJOR speed traps. We had lots of good nights out there cruising, but here's a story about a not so good night.

A friend and I wanted to go cruising while his 69 Firebird was broke (it was broke most of the time) so we put his slicks on his Mom's new 6 cylinder Monte Carlo (I think it was an '82-83, that new smaller, square body style). We figured we would go cruising and just mess with some people. Well we no sooner turn on to Graph down at Ford Rd and the boys in blue pull us over. They didn't know what to think -- quiet car and slicks . . . the jerks wrote him a ticket for the tires. A half hour later he got a ticket for 10 over an telegraph and W. Chicago. Having had just about enough we parked at the lot just south of W. Chicago . . . after about a half hour a bunch of big Chinese guys came out the Chinese restaurant with bats telling people to leave. There was a fight (I stayed well clear of it) and 10 minutes later the Redford cops showed and blocked off the exits to the lot. They wrote everyone a loitering ticket as they let them out of the lot. When we saw what was going on I walked off the lot and my buddy picked me up -- when we met up again he said he showed the cops his other two tickets and talked his way out of a third for loitering.

[BangShift McT]

Re: Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot & "the Ditch"

Yeah, I pale in comparison to you guys with stories. I grew up way too late for my own good, but this one's true.

I have a "friend" that is my wife's best friend. Before she was my wife, this girl was the objective. She loves the Diplomat, loved it the first time she saw me walk it sideways out of the parking lot at work, but she never rode in it, because for most of the time prior to, the car only had a fiberglass racing seat and a five point installed for interior.

Well, a major back injury will make you reconsider that plush bench seat fast, and a friend of mine was kind enough to not only find me a donor car with the matching color interior, he installed it all for me when I was still bed-bound and in the middle of electro-shock therapy. Needless to say, the first week I could walk more than three minutes without needing to lay down, I was driving the car. I figured I'd celebrate, make one fast trip out of it, so I called the girl and Domino's. She came over, and helped me down to the Dodge. I cruised it slowly toward the Lewis gate, barely tipping 40 mph, car just above idle, making conversation. She didn't seem too impressed.

At every Lewis gate, the crossroad is a major highway. In my case, I was at the onramp to Interstate 5 at 9pm. Empty road. Could any of you resist? Yeah, me neither. No warning to her, make the right turn stop, then go for broke, launching sideways, shifting at 6,000, blow second away, bark third, chirp fourth...took it up to 110 before getting out of it, got off at the next exit and doubled back to Domino's.

I'm grinning like an idiot. The rush hit me hard, since I hadn't driven in almost a month, and hadn't driven the Diplomat in almost three. But, when we got to Domino's, I noticed that as she got out of the car, she had a hard time standing up, didn't seem to walk well...

I guess I must've scared her...?

Well, one split pizza, one split bottle of Captain Morgan's, and a few hours later, she admitted to me that the car...made a special impression on her, the kind that diluted her concentration and took her breath away...at each shift.

Mopar or no car, baby. (She also loves the Regal's seat heaters, and is dying to see the Chevelle...but another day)

We quit messing around when me and my wife got serious. But we're still friends. And the first thing she wants to do when we get back from this gigantic sandtrap? Well, I know this perfect road near my mom's old house in Olalla, straight with some big hills that is never patrolled.... ;D

[Mike The Photo Guy]

Re: Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot & "the Ditch"

Anybody recognize this car? The owner was James Falkiewicz, and the story I got was that he blew the motor street racing it on Telegraph in 1974. It's a dual quad 428 SCJ, 4-speed, with yellow slapper bars. It had different wheels on the back, but he loaned them to a buddy after the motor blew, and never got them back.



Anybody have any pictures from back then? That would be cool to see.

If he blew the car up in front of Pat Milliken Ford at West Chicago while racing another Mustang and My Hemi I know the car. I was in a three way race and got a bad launch. Both Mustangs were ahead of me. The one to the far right blew it's rear end. I was chasing down the other car when his engine blew. If it's the same car, it was fast. Let me know if he's the guy. I was always out there from 73 to 76. My older brother had an Orange '70 440 6 pack Cuda. My 69 Hemi Roadrunner was Blue. I looked like Frank Zappa back then.

[Silver68RT]

Re: Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot & "the Ditch"

If he blew the car up in front of Pat Milliken Ford at West Chicago while racing another Mustang and My Hemi I know the car. I was in a three way race and got a bad launch. Both Mustangs were ahead of me. The one to the far right blew it's rear end. I was chasing down the other car when his engine blew. If it's the same car, it was fast. Let me know if he's the guy. I was always out there from 73 to 76. My older brother had an Orange '70 440 6 pack Cuda. My 69 Hemi Roadrunner was Blue. I looked like Frank Zappa back then.

It could have been. He blew the engine at least twice that I know of, because the one that was in it when I got it (with the big window in the lifter valley) was a service block, and there was a spare set of heads from the original engine that the dealer gave him back when they fixed it after it dropped a valve. My buddy said the guy told him he was racing his brother-in-law in a '70 Chevelle SS 454 on Telegraph when he blew the engine for the last time and parked it permanently.

Did you ever get a look under the hood? He had a '67 GT500 dual quad setup, electric fuel pump, and some white headers and Cherry Bombs or something similar. I can post a picture later.

[milner351]

Re: Woodward, Telegraph, Gratiot & "the Ditch"

How cool would it be to find out first hand history on your car!

TOO COOL!

My car was in the south most of it's life, so I have NO idea what it's been through - other than a couple busted front U joints based on the scars in the trans tunnel :o >