[1tinindian]

Hello all!
I've been a long time lover of the 1966 full sized Pontiac, as my dad owned a 1966 2dr ht Catalina, in Barrier Blue.
And that was the only Pontiac he ever owned, but was enough for me to make me a die-hard Pontiac man.That's all I've ever owned, other than a stray 1964 Galaxie (1st car).
I ended up buying a near copy of my dads car a few years ago which was a runner an old lady had owned since 1968, but after getting to know the car, she was far too rusted out for me to put money into, so I sold it, and keep my Arizona parts car as a basis as my dream car resto.
I parted out a 66 Bonneville 4dr Broughm, mostly for the YF code 389, as this was the engine my dads car had all those years ago.
The car is still in storage, but I buy parts off of ebay as money allows, a little at a time, so when the time comes to start working on her, I won't be still searching for the parts I need.

Anyway, with that little bit of history out of the way, can someone tell me the meaning behind the term "Darksider"?
Does it refer to full sized '60s Pontiacs, a certain model, or year?
I really like reading all of your guys' comments and input on the '60s Pontiac, as it will be a passion of mine till I die.

My plans for my 66 Cat include a complete body off resto, and while keeping the body 100% stock and original, I plan on doing the interior with the GP front bench/rear seat w/speaker, and maybe some hints of Bonneville thrown in. A/C will also be of the factory style but retroed to 134.
The 389 will have an Edelbrock intake and a AFB style carb along with a 068 cam and headers with dual exhaust.
I like the idea of using same year of RallyII wheels, but not sure what year of the 5x5 wheels I need to fit nicely in the rear.
I also will stay with the drum brakes, so I can run the stock 14" wheels and caps when I want.
My dream is to have it restored and hook my 1968 Forester camper to the back of it and take a tourist style trip from Chicago to LA following the old Rt,66.
Thanks for letting me be a part of such a great bunch of guys!!

Leon.

[Stuart]

It seems like most Pontiac enthusiasts go for Firebirds or GTOs, so when they finally come around and realize the big cars are better we say they've come over to the 'dark side'. It's all in good fun.

[66bonne]

From what I gather the term "Darksider" was first used to describe Big Car Pontiac owners a few years ago. It originated on another Pontiac board when someone [who did not own a Big Car] had posted that they really liked their styling, allure, performance, etc; that they found it irresistable. Tongue in cheek someone replied in Star Wars fashion "You can't resist the call of the Darkside, come over to the Darkside. May the torque be with you." Thru the boards, internet, Pontiac clubs, etc the term stuck and we Big Car PontiManiacs proudly refer to ourselves as Darksiders. As Stuart says - it's all in fun. Here's a pic of the logo on a T-shirt.

[Venomous Type]

sounds like a greaser gang or club name.. i love it!

yea momma, we can get cramped in a gto.. or we can get wild in a full size!

[63HO3x2Cat421]

Originally Posted by 66bonne

"You can't resist the call of the Darkside, come over to the Darkside. May the torque be with you." Thru the boards, internet, Pontiac clubs, etc the term stuck and we Big Car PontiManiacs proudly refer to ourselves as Darksiders. As Stuart says - it's all in fun. Here's a pic of the logo on a T-shirt.

I love the way the term developed. It's premise is based in fact....once stuck with the fever it's like a powerful addiction, there's little chance of resisting the allure.

This past summer when looking for another muscle car after being without for some 20 years, i stumbled across a photo of a stunning black 63 Catalina in one of those muscle car coffee table books. Besides the eight lugs, yards of chrome and red ventura interior, it had a 4 speed with a bench seat. In that instant resistance became futile, and i quickly became aware i no longer had to worry about choosing between a 65 or 66 GTO to replace those i sold long ago.

I lucked out and found my 63 Cat, originally a Cal car, within two hours of where i live. Having last been registered in 1992, this car had indeed sat in a barn all that time. Still underhood lies it's original 421, 4 speed bench, ventura interior, 25+ options inc. AM/FM made the purchase a no brainer. On top of that i saved thousands in shipping fees and travel expenses if this car didn't materialize where and when it did.

I haven't lost my love for GTO's and hope to own another someday, but then again....there's that 421 tri-powered ensign blue 62 bonneville vert to think about, not to mention how nice it'd be to restore a 61 Ventura bubbletop, black with the red int. sounds nice......

Lot's of great people here that go out of their way to share their hard earned, valuable knowledge with the rest of us mere mortals.

BTW, i love that shirt, where can i get one if still available?

Thanks, Paul

[60man]

OK....now I know how the word"Darksider" got here..
In my local area Darksider refers to some one who has resorted to Chebby power for their Pontiacs..Or jumped ship to another make of car..

I'm partial to 8 lugs for big cars...You can get 15",16" or even 17" wheels for them now. The drums are even being reproduced now.

I respect GTO's & Firbirds but have never owned antyhing but a full size Pontiac..If it wern't for needing powerful motors to have a fast BIG car the GTO's & 'Birds wouldn't be so fast...

I race a 60 Ventura and would like to go faster but I refuse to drop down in size ...to easy...that would be a cop out.

Check out the 8 lugs......

[mike nixon]

troy,your car's a joy to watch make passes and a pretty nice car in it's own right.

there's nothing that turns my crank quite as much as a fullsized pontiac that launches like yours does. that old girl stands up, plants her feet and gets with the program.

i own or have owned a little bit of everything pontiac 'cept for a minivan. those are crusherbait in my book.

big cars have always drawn my attn, i grew up with a 63 tempest, a 69 catalina, learned to drive in a 67 cat. put a lot of miles on a 78 cat and my first car was a 72 cat 4dr htp. i wrecked and rebuilt that one, traded it a year later ona 78 turbo regal which i still have.

a cousin bought a 67 gto new and kept it several years before he dumped it for a roadrunner.

i've had a slew of g/p's, a couple gto's [currently] and a 'vert firebird over the years.

i've been chasing a 65 iris mist g/p locally that the owner left rot away until it's a parts car and wouldn't sell. a friend of mine,who's a member of this board , ran across a 65 g/p in tx and sent me some pix of it. the car stuck in my head for a year until i finally bought it off of him. we're currently waiting on the shipper to bring her to her new home. i was gonna roadtrip and haul her home myself but injuries and paying for those prevented that during the summer.

i told jen, this will be the family cruiser and maybe the boys'll love these old cars as much as i do.

i'll get some pics up when she arrives.

mike

[63HO3x2Cat421]

The sheer size of your car Troy should intimidate anyone lining up to race you in anything of lesser size. Menacing, but with a hint of the car's luxury roots, the guy in the opposite lane must be thinking bad thoughts before the lights even come up. Very cool indeed.

I want one of those darksider shirts, anyone know if they're still available, and where or who to contact about one?

Thanks, Paul

[Blackcat]

For years big Pontiacs were called:
"Land Yachts"

[UPC-WU2]

Paul, I was responsible for the Darksiders shirts & hats. I came up with the logo about two years ago when I had a '72 Grand Ville convertible and I was part of the Dark Side. As a member of this board and another one, I couldn't help but to notice peoples' enthusiasm for the big Pontiacs and the 'Darksiders' name that they had given themselves. Another member had often used the phrase "May the torque be with you" so I began fiddling with that, and big car names and indian heads and flames and came up with the artwork, trying to have it resemble the Orange County Chopper style. I posted it and the guys and I came up with the list of car names to use (Bonneville, Catalina, Safari, 2+2, etc) and I took it to a friend of mine who owns a screenprinting shop.

The interest was there so I took a count of who wanted shirts, and I had a run of black T-shirts made. They were a big hit and I think everyone has been pleased with the quality. About a year passed and enough interest had built up again that I did another run of shirts this past summer, and also did some embroidered hats this time. All of the 2nd run of shirts have sold out again. If enough interest can be rounded up again, I can have more printed. It's a difficult job to set up to print on black so the printer will want an order of at least a couple dozen to consider it, but I'd be happy to do it again. There are about 4 hats left. They are a Flex-fit style so one size fits all. The car names were left off the hats because the type was so small that it was not readable. Here's a picture.

[63HO3x2Cat421]

UPC,

Thanks for the reply, i joined this board late this summer so missed the last printing. You came up with an awesome design for those shirts and i definitely want a couple if the demand is there again. As for the hat, i would like one of those remaining, email or PM me the price for one, and how you'd prefer payment...paypal, money order, etc.

Emaill address: [email protected]

Thanks, Paul

[Tim Younker]

I also would be interested in a shirt. What would be the cost?

[mj64car]

I have your shirt and hat, another t-shirt would be good. What about a sweatshirt jacket?

[6T5 Cat]

PM sent

[60man]

Thanks for the kind words about car Mike. There are lot of people who don't take my car seriously. When it pops a wheelie and lays down a 1.50 60' and run mid 11's it shakes them....I win by Red Lits a lot..by anxious oponents spotting me.
I was amused (and amazed) yesterday when it pulled asbout a 3-4 foot wheelie...Holy Mackerel Bat Man !! My competitor said he C'hit when he saw my entire wheel through his side window..down side I lost the close race...not going forward when your going up.....but it sure was fun ...

UPC-WU2: By chance is Ventura on the shirt ?? I would interested one or two shirts....hat to...
Thanks
Troy

[UPC-WU2]

Yes, Ventura is on the shirt.

I need a committment for at least 2 dozen to have more shirts screenprinted, but I can go the embroidery route and have the hat logo (without the car names) put onto almost anything: Sweatshirt, jacket, thong, Speedo, etc. Without a quantity limit.

[mj64car]

You do not want to see me in a thong or speedo

I would be very interested in embrodery for a sweatshirt or jacket. T-shirt weather is gone for a while, there is snow on the mountain.

[bonneville Joe]

Id be down for a least a XL T shirt.

[63gpstanley]

Two t-shirts in FB size please (FAT BASTARD), probably a hat as well.

Dave.

[60man]

Originally Posted by UPC-WU2

Yes, Ventura is on the shirt.

I need a committment for at least 2 dozen to have more shirts screenprinted, but I can go the embroidery route and have the hat logo (without the car names) put onto almost anything: Sweatshirt, jacket, thong, Speedo, etc. Without a quantity limit.

Put me down for two shirts...Large American male size...!!
No thongs please..
as per PM..