28'x34' Work in progress, long way to go...

[pumalex]

yeah i have to agree with all of the above with the racedeck floor

 

[964haus]

I remember reading about the vector years ago in an obscure car magazine. I was about 8 or 9 years old and it was in a feature alongside a Keonig ferrari, comparing the driveability of each. I remember thinking what an advanced looking car the vector was for its time. The thing I never understood - even at a young age - was why they were equiped with automatic transmissions.
Given your history with the company, do you know why that was?

Really nice to see a piece of my childhood car-memory well cared for. And a great looking garage as well!

Matthew.

 

[waggie]

............
That is my short list.

Thank you so much. I wasn't too keen on getting racedeck to begin with, it was just at my periphery.

I have two matco tool boxes: a 5 series three bay and a 7 series two bay. They're split up so much weight on a small footprint. But I do have milling machine, lathe for now, and god knows what else later. I didn't think racedeck would be a good idea for a machine shop application, but was sort of considering it for the fab section of my shop

 

[vectorw8015]

I remember reading about the vector years ago in an obscure car magazine. I was about 8 or 9 years old and it was in a feature alongside a Keonig ferrari, comparing the driveability of each. I remember thinking what an advanced looking car the vector was for its time. The thing I never understood - even at a young age - was why they were equiped with automatic transmissions.
Given your history with the company, do you know why that was?

Really nice to see a piece of my childhood car-memory well cared for. And a great looking garage as well!

Matthew.

Hi Matthew, Thanks for the complements on the garage and car. I still have a lot I want to do. As for the great transmission issue: The 3 speed automatic was chosen at the time because it could be built to handle the extreme horsepower and torque requirements needed by the Vectors engine. The engine will produce 1200hp at 14lbs of boost with 110 octane fuel. It generates 950lb ft of torque over a broad RPM range under those conditions. For longevity we built in a 2 times safety factor so the transmission components were designed to handle 2400hp and 1900 lb ft of torque. This allowed constant abuse from any driver without failure of the driveline. On 92 octane at 8lbs of boost (factory minimum setting) the engine produces 650hp and 649 lb ft of torque.

The other underlying factor was turbo boost. In a manual transmission car you push in the clutch, match rpm release clutch and back on the gas to shift. This causes boost levels to drop between shifts and sacrifices performance. With the automatic transmission (it has a ratchet shifter) you can hold boost levels between shifts and this improves 0-60 and 1/4 mile times tremendously. When you hit the gas in the Vector acceleration is constant and very linear. Power is always there.

The other issue was that no one made twin or triple disc clutches back then and no manual transmission could handle the torque.

The funniest thing now is that all performance cars have automatic transmissions that they allow you to shift with a paddle. And its cool to have a automatic transmission in your Tiptronic Porsche, ENZO Ferrari or Bugatti Veyron. In hindsight we were actually trend setters

 

[vectorw8015]

Thank you so much. I wasn't too keen on getting racedeck to begin with, it was just at my periphery.

I have two matco tool boxes: a 5 series three bay and a 7 series two bay. They're split up so much weight on a small footprint. But I do have milling machine, lathe for now, and god knows what else later. I didn't think racedeck would be a good idea for a machine shop application, but was sort of considering it for the fab section of my shop

Not a problem, I like to warn people before they buy because I was lead to believe that it was magic flooring that was indestructible and because the color was all the way through the tile it would hide dirt dust and scratches well. It didn't. The next garage I do will have porcelain or marble tile in a display area and I will keep the racedeck for the shop area.

 

[964haus]

Hi Matthew, Thanks for the complements on the garage and car. I still have a lot I want to do. As for the great transmission issue: The 3 speed automatic was chosen at the time because it could be built to handle the extreme horsepower and torque requirements needed by the Vectors engine. The engine will produce 1200hp at 14lbs of boost with 110 octane fuel. It generates 950lb ft of torque over a broad RPM range under those conditions. For longevity we built in a 2 times safety factor so the transmission components were designed to handle 2400hp and 1900 lb ft of torque. This allowed constant abuse from any driver without failure of the driveline. On 92 octane at 8lbs of boost (factory minimum setting) the engine produces 650hp and 649 lb ft of torque.

The other underlying factor was turbo boost. In a manual transmission car you push in the clutch, match rpm release clutch and back on the gas to shift. This causes boost levels to drop between shifts and sacrifices performance. With the automatic transmission (it has a ratchet shifter) you can hold boost levels between shifts and this improves 0-60 and 1/4 mile times tremendously. When you hit the gas in the Vector acceleration is constant and very linear. Power is always there.

The other issue was that no one made twin or triple disc clutches back then and no manual transmission could handle the torque.

The funniest thing now is that all performance cars have automatic transmissions that they allow you to shift with a paddle. And its cool to have a automatic transmission in your Tiptronic Porsche, ENZO Ferrari or Bugatti Veyron. In hindsight we were actually trend setters

Thanks for the details - it's so great having someone who really knows these cars explain things. Even as a kid, I was really drawn to these and I remember something about the exclusivity really appealed to my 8 year old brain.

It makes sense re: transmission and horsepower. I wonder what effect on performance and driveability it would have to drop in a 'modern' day transmission with, like you said, a DSG box with flappy paddles. Maybe once your garage is all done, it could be your next project.....

Will be watching for updates on the car and garage.

Thanks for sharing,
Matthew

 

[prowler777]

Hi there,I just have to say I love the Vector.I have ever since seeing the prototype in the '80's.one question though(feel free to answer or not)...is your name Greg?I have a friend on Facebook who was an engineer at Vector and was wondering if it was you?

 

[vectorw8015]

Thanks for the details - it's so great having someone who really knows these cars explain things. Even as a kid, I was really drawn to these and I remember something about the exclusivity really appealed to my 8 year old brain.

It makes sense re: transmission and horsepower. I wonder what effect on performance and driveability it would have to drop in a 'modern' day transmission with, like you said, a DSG box with flappy paddles. Maybe once your garage is all done, it could be your next project.....

Will be watching for updates on the car and garage.

Thanks for sharing,
Matthew

Hi Matthew,

I would imagine an 8 speed paddle shift gear box built to handle the power using todays tech would improve 0-60 and 1/4 mile times by quite a bit. Top speed in the car is gear limited to 242mph. You could probably improve top speed a bit with overdrive. I would love to take one of the original chassis and bodies and build it with a modern drive line. Unfortunately my car is a preservation piece so I can take it to car shows and show what we built to compete against the rest of the world.

 

[vectorw8015]

Hi there,I just have to say I love the Vector.I have ever since seeing the prototype in the '80's.one question though(feel free to answer or not)...is your name Greg?I have a friend on Facebook who was an engineer at Vector and was wondering if it was you?

Hi Sorry, I'm not Greg. What years was he there. I worked there for a long time and would probably know him. There were only a handful of Engineers. David, John, Peter, Jerry etc. A lot of assembly and fabrication guys and a great crew in body.

 

[vectorw8015]

Well, the sled went back together early this week and my neighbor and I put a quick 200 miles on to check things out. All is good again and I am happy that I am not missing out on all this great snow we have this year.


Oh and a shot of me giving my baby boy a big hug good night. He's a bit of a armfull to hug.

 

[metalhead212121]

Finally got a chance to read this thread. Thanks for sharing pics and info on your Vector.

For those who don't know vectorw8015 has a older thread on his Vector here:
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30553

For those who want to own a Vector now is your chance.

http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1067559

Last one I saw for sale sold for around 125K in Europe. The link I posted says the car is going to be auctioned off for 300 to 500K! I'm wondering if they are saying that because it looks like its the exact car from the movie Rising Sun.

Vectorw8015- I never realized that the motor is transverse mounted. I know you guys opted to put automatic transmissions in the Vectors. You don't happen to have any pics of the trans bolted up to the engine do you? Is it safe to say the Vectors have independent rear suspension? My info would be appreciated.

 

[Zengineer]

Really digging the Vector, but it does in fact steal the show from your garage!

 

[GregJW]

Wow! Awesome garage and cars. The Vector was my dream car as a kid. I have a book called "DREAM CARS" with a Vector on the cover. I still have that book out in my family room with all my other cool car books.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0517649489/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[hoho98925]

WOW...... the photos in post #4 gave me a *****! Awesome garage and contents....love the vector!

 

[vectorw8015]

Hi Everyone,

Well progress on the garage is slow these days. Just adding little things here and there to fill in the spaces. Added a few more signs, another display case for more models, and a few minor things. But I figured I would post them. Only went to one car show with the Vector this year. Not as much fun as they use to be. Too many idiots that don't respect other peoples property. So the car is pretty much for my personal viewing pleasure these days.

 

[vectorw8015]

WOW...... the photos in post #4 gave me a *****! Awesome garage and contents....love the vector!

Thanks, Yeah pretty much me too.

 

[vectorw8015]

New winter toy added along with a little more wall bling.

 

[josephmarket]

Very Nice!

 

[vectorw8015]

Very Nice!

Thank you.

 

[dubber]

Oh man, love to see this one bumped up again and a chance to look through the pics again. Any thoughts on getting a lift. Looks like the Vector would happily sit above the vette to clear some much needed space for you. Or more toys?

 

[vectorw8015]

Oh man, love to see this one bumped up again and a chance to look through the pics again. Any thoughts on getting a lift. Looks like the Vector would happily sit above the vette to clear some much needed space for you. Or more toys?

There is a lift in the garage. However it is a low rise lift. It will put the cars up about 44" in the air, provides me with enough room to get under them to drop a transmission or maintain any fluid changes or other repairs from under the cars.

I have been looking at 4 post lifts, but the garage isn't deep enough to get a lift on one side and still allow a car to drive around it to get to the center of the garage. So I may be able to put one in and get the Vector on top and the Nismo under it, but the Corvette would still have to be placed in the other bay, I looked at a tandem lift (2 cars side by side, but again, not enough depth to get an approach to the inside deck.)

What I need is a larger garage. Not sure when I could afford to tackle that project. The way the house currently sits on the property precludes me from adding on to the back of my current garage. So that would mean a detached garage. This causes other issues as we live out in the country and heat the house and garage with propane (no natural gas available) that means a stand alone heater and another propane tank. Not very economical.

So for now I will have to suffer with the footprint that I have. I would put in a single arm lift, but the garage foundation was laid by its previous owner who never intended to have lifts in the garage, so the pad is not as thick as I need it to be to support a single post lift to save space.

I have been looking at additional toys. another car possibly, I just added another snowmobile. So now my lawn tractor is in my snowmobile trailer for the winter. Nothing is ever easy.

I will eventually have to do something. Time will tell. Until then I will keep squeezing things in this garage.

Thanks for the comments. I do appreciate it.

 

[vectorw8015]

Finally got a chance to read this thread. Thanks for sharing pics and info on your Vector.

For those who don't know vectorw8015 has a older thread on his Vector here:
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30553

For those who want to own a Vector now is your chance.

http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1067559

Last one I saw for sale sold for around 125K in Europe. The link I posted says the car is going to be auctioned off for 300 to 500K! I'm wondering if they are saying that because it looks like its the exact car from the movie Rising Sun.

Vectorw8015- I never realized that the motor is transverse mounted. I know you guys opted to put automatic transmissions in the Vectors. You don't happen to have any pics of the trans bolted up to the engine do you? Is it safe to say the Vectors have independent rear suspension? My info would be appreciated.

Hi Metalhead, I owe you a couple of photos of the rear end. I will try to post some of the transmission and differential. As for the rear suspension I would call it semi independent. Its a 5 link set up with a DeDion tube. Which holds both wheels like a solid axle would while allowing half shafts between the differential and the wheel hub. So its a yes and no answer. Sorry for the late response to your questions, I honestly missed you post when scrolling through.

As for the two Vectors that sold, 003 the red car was the Rising Sun car. It was out of Robert Ponds collection. That car needed some attention and with buyer premium sold for $328K, The car in Europe was also sold for close to the same price with buyer premium. I was disappointed in the sale of 007 in EU. It should have brought a lot more money. The car sat in a museum in Germany for many years. It was not well maintained (quite dust filled in the engine compartment from sitting). But had low miles with little use. It should have brought around $500 to $750K.

A good example of a properly priced Vector W8 would be 016 which was bid up to $998K at Mecum last year. That was an appropriate price for the car. Its owner did not part with the car, electing to keep it as he wanted 1.4 to separate with it. I don't blame him. Most cars sell after their owner dies. Most owners wont part with them unless that happens.

 

[metalhead212121]

Thanks for the delayed response I just realized you quoted what I said.

If you're still up for it I'd REALLY like to see some pics of how the trans sits in the car.

In your other thread I posted a link with a lot of information about Vectors.
http://www.luxury4play.com/supercars/84644-vector-w8.html
I was wondering how much of the information posted in this thread is true or not.

What can I say.. I was (and still am) a fan of the Vector.

I don't expect you to write back anytime soon.

 

[vectorw8015]

Have not done much this year to the garage. Did add a cement pad out front finally. It makes it nice for washing cars.

Unfortunately we were supposed to do the entire driveway, but I was fortunate enough to have some kid pull out in to oncoming traffic and total out my girlfriends 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland.

So insurance was kind enough to pay us back about $39,000 on a $56,000 vehicle. So guess who had to make up the difference to get mama back in to another Overland...... We did.

So hence the reason we only added a pad up by the garage and missed the additional 300 feet of driveway.

 

[vectorw8015]

Oh and one other project that I took on that killed my cash flow and is still a work in progress. Mama suggested that I let go of my beloved 2004 Nissan Titan. I had a lot of things done to that truck to get it to where it was MINE. But with 140,000 miles on the clock she felt it was time for me to look for something new. So here is what I ended up with.



2015 Toyota Tundra Platinum Crew Max 4x4. I have changed a ton of things out on it as I now have to make it mine all over again. So I started with the engine and added a little extra HP to get things started.



Then things like a lift kit were added, changed the front sway bar out, added a TRD rear sway bar, TRD Skid Plate, All the brake light assemblies were swapped out for some cooler LED versions. Long breather vent hoses added to the axles to allow deep fording if needed, LED rock lights under the chassis, TRD Pro front grille, White mirror covers etc. And of course the TRD Supercharger to provide me with 504 hp. Which seems to come in handy.

 

[jsherid1]

Looking good! Liked the pic of Dugan too.

Jim

 

[vectorw8015]

Looking good! Liked the pic of Dugan too.

Jim

Thanks Jim,

He is my baby boy. He cracks me up every day.

 

[vectorw8015]

Well nothing new on the garage project. But did at a 12,000lb winch to the Tundra with a SDHQ hidden winch mount so that was fun.





Oh and did ok this year at our first outing with the Vector.

 

[vectorw8015]

Well not a lot of progress in the garage other than I have really run out of room. I need another garage, but that is a long way from becoming a reality. I have added a few more toys and have modified a few of the current ones. Added a 2015 Nissan Juke Nismo RS as my new daily driver. A little better on gas but I have been modding the heck out of it. I go for a dyno test and tune day on 6/1/18 shooting for 250 AWHP out of her. Should make her pretty entertaining.

The Cobra replica comes with a bitter sweet story. My best friend in the whole world was diagnosed with ALS several years ago. He was the greatest guy in the world, would do anything he could for anyone. He passed 9 months ago. His first born child was his Factory 5 Cobra that he built. The car has been sitting for about 9 years. His mom and sisters called me after his passing and let me know that he had left something for me. It was his pride and joy. I have promised that it will be with me until my passing. I now need to get it fixed up and back on the road again. That will be one of my summer projects.

 

[vectorw8015]

The days of summer are coming to an end. A bit of a disappointment as I dont know where the time has gone this year.

 

[MrElectric03]

Beautiful set of cars. I am particularly fond of the cobra. Sorry to hear of the events that lead to it becoming yours but he obviously wanted it to go to someone who would take care of it.

 

[vectorw8015]

Thanks MrElectric03. Yeah he knew she would be in good hands. I have been slowly correcting a lot of items. I am hoping to get her back on the road in the next 8 or 9 months if all goes well. I keep running in to other issues that prevent me from working on her. The last two weekends have been dedicated to winter prep. Getting everything ready for the snow to fly. So no progress was made on her. Once she is done she will be a rolling dedication to him. I will put a couple of tasteful items in her in memory of him.