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Meep's new tool addition

Meep-Meep

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A Stewart-Warner model 2000 balancer with everything except the paint on the walls where it was set up. Bob weights, mandrels, a scale, cabinet, you name it. For me, since I basically rebuild high speed spindles connected to a turbine type rotor, it has other applications. But the automotive angle might come in handy too. I managed to remove all the electronics and support equipment, or whatever I could take off with my Swiss Army knife, and will go back another day with an engine crane and slings for the rest.

The story: My favorite local machine shop closed down and the auction was today. Tom Sullivan, one of the owners of Tri Valley Machine, passed away a year ago to the day and pretty much all of last year was trying to keep the place going with Mike and Amos as well as trying to hire "the right guy/s" to run the shop. Well, apparently it didn't work out and right around Thanksgiving they decided to hang it up for good. It's sad to see the shop go, especially since I knew Bob Foard and Tom for half my life. RIP Tom and Tri Valley Machine. SW 2000 Balancer.JPG
 
Hey that's great Meeps, congrats! Through you at least a small part of Tri Valley Machine will live on. Show us how it works for you.
 
RIP Tri-valley machine. Those guys were around forever and well respected throughout the entire bay area. Both Meeps and I grew up in Concord, CA and knew that shop (Meeps much better than I), although we didn't meet until this forum. Good score and I'm glad you were able to attend. Anything else up there that is left over? My bro maybe could use a few things in his small 1-man machine shop.
 
Oh yeah, the possibilities are almost endless! Doing some research about this machine it seems to have quite a history. Both Garlits and Smokey Yunick used them. The Rolls Royce Griffon V-12 crankshaft out of the unlimited hydroplane, "Miss Budweiser" was also balanced on one of these. I even saw a picture of a 14x32 drag slick being balanced using the flywheel mandrel (which I have).

Both 68 Sport Sat and I have some of the last engines machined by the original TVM crew. This balancer was Tom's baby and several years ago when I had some big turbo pump rotors to balance we talked about trying them out on this machine. Tom even said he would sell this to me so he could get a newer machine with a drill press attached (like Rev Ronnie's Hines) but likely would never happen because of the cost of the new machine. I even remember Tom telling me when he repainted it the color it is now. In the unfortunate event of Tom's passing it looks like I ended up with it after all.
 
Nice Meeps, Its good to see you get it, I imagine him knowing you he would know you will put it to good use.
 
Sending my Kellog Hemi Crank to you today. Please use spent Uranium for Bob Weights.

Sounds good. Give me a day or so to get with my Berkeley Rad Lab contacts to get the "stuff". Haha!
 
Thanks, I needed to see this thread. Especially Tommys balancer. I can't count how many jokes he told me there, while helping me learn. I asked what happened to all the equipment, glad to see someone that knew him got it. Still wouldn't mind getting the jet clean, it owes me part of an ankle. I clearly remember struggling in after playing gigs and Tom would take away some of my exhaustion and help me laugh about the insanity that was my life - fulltime there, and playing in a band every night. Really, you made me smile, thanks.
And I'll take a whopper, just ketchup. Or ribs. Had to add that for those that know.....whopperland in the sky
 
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nice, that'll be a handy machine. i've wanted to add one of those to my garage for years, i use to balance a lot of cranks.
 
Thanks, I needed to see this thread. Especially Tommys balancer. I can't count how many jokes he told me there, while helping me learn. I asked what happened to all the equipment, glad to see someone that knew him got it. Still wouldn't mind getting the jet clean, it owes me part of an ankle. I clearly remember struggling in after playing gigs and Tom would take away some of my exhaustion and help me laugh about the insanity that was my life - fulltime there, and playing in a band every night. Really, you made me smile, thanks.
And I'll take a whopper, just ketchup. Or ribs. Had to add that for those that know.....whopperland in the sky

And a coke....

Every time I came in he had a joke or three or four or a cool story.

He knew I worked at the lab and had an appreciation of mechanical stuff so he would show me his non automotive related projects.

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Here are some pics I took of the shop about a month before the auction. Most everything is still intact and in it's place. I also have some of the cylinder head tools, which I got before the auction.

Tri Valley 001 (Large).jpgTri Valley 002 (Large).jpgTri Valley 006 (Large).jpgTri Valley 007 (Large).jpgTri Valley 008 (Large).jpg

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Tri Valley 009 (Large).jpgTri Valley 010 (Large).jpgTri Valley 011 (Large).jpg
 
The sopwith talked, the gatlin gun.....wow, that place looks empty. When I wad there, we had parts on top of pat's office, and under Rita's bench, and anywhere else we could fit them. I love the hot tank notes, though it left off don't stir it with your ankle-something bob would joke about after my accident. The head surfacer also could remove block pins, though I wasn't the one that did that...
If you guys talked to Tommy, I'm sure he said something about the stripper that a couple of my girlfriends hired, who then gave me her number. Rita almost couldn't contain himself when she got naked in the back of the shop. :) never thought I'd see pictures of that place again, lots of memories. Thanks again.
 
Cool beans on the machine! And I know what it's like to lose a friend that owns a machine shop. 3 for me now. One moved away and two passed on. I found another that's as good as they come but now I have to drive 65 miles one way instead of 10.....
 
The sopwith talked, the gatlin gun.....wow, that place looks empty. When I wad there, we had parts on top of pat's office, and under Rita's bench, and anywhere else we could fit them. I love the hot tank notes, though it left off don't stir it with your ankle-something bob would joke about after my accident. The head surfacer also could remove block pins, though I wasn't the one that did that...
If you guys talked to Tommy, I'm sure he said something about the stripper that a couple of my girlfriends hired, who then gave me her number. Rita almost couldn't contain himself when she got naked in the back of the shop. :) never thought I'd see pictures of that place again, lots of memories. Thanks again.

Yes! The gatlin gun. I remember seeing that a long time ago. Damn I miss that guy.. I don't recall the stripper story. Wow!

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Cool beans on the machine! And I know what it's like to lose a friend that owns a machine shop. 3 for me now. One moved away and two passed on. I found another that's as good as they come but now I have to drive 65 miles one way instead of 10.....

Damn, 65 miles? Ouch. But a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do.
 
RIP TOM from Tri Valley

A Stewart-Warner model 2000 balancer with everything except the paint on the walls where it was set up. Bob weights, mandrels, a scale, cabinet, you name it. For me, since I basically rebuild high speed spindles connected to a turbine type rotor, it has other applications. But the automotive angle might come in handy too. I managed to remove all the electronics and support equipment, or whatever I could take off with my Swiss Army knife, and will go back another day with an engine crane and slings for the rest.

The story: My favorite local machine shop closed down and the auction was today. Tom Sullivan, one of the owners of Tri Valley Machine, passed away a year ago to the day and pretty much all of last year was trying to keep the place going with Mike and Amos as well as trying to hire "the right guy/s" to run the shop. Well, apparently it didn't work out and right around Thanksgiving they decided to hang it up for good. It's sad to see the shop go, especially since I knew Bob Foard and Tom for half my life. RIP Tom and Tri Valley Machine.View attachment 97308
:iamwithstupid: Meeps that really sucks, I remember Tri-Valley Machine very well, sad to see it go away, it was big part of my life, when I lived in Concord, Clayton, Pacheco, Pleasant Hill area, that totally sucks about Tom... may he rest in peace & Gods Speed, my condolences go out too all his family & friends... hey Meeps I like the new piece of machinery too...

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RIP Tri-valley machine. Those guys were around forever and well respected throughout the entire bay area. Both Meeps and I grew up in Concord, CA and knew that shop (Meeps much better than I), although we didn't meet until this forum. Good score and I'm glad you were able to attend. Anything else up there that is left over? My bro maybe could use a few things in his small 1-man machine shop.

68 spt sat hey another Concord California Boy...LOL.. I had no idea... I was Born there in July 12th 1959 at Concord Memorial, lived off Cobbelstone Ct. in Cantaberry Village & Cowell rd. when I was real young then, Waterfall Way in Turtle Creek area, then Oakhurst in Clayton, by Treat Blvd, when I bought my 3rd house, I could see the stripes "I painted" out on Eygnatio Valley Blvd, for the week end street races, from my upstairs bedroom deck on Waterfall Way.... it's a small world sometimes
 
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