In the trenches
My Visit
to Fresno
by Lance Wiggins
www.atra.com
The front of I.T.C and their delivery van.
P
rior to the storm of the century, I his knowledge, expertise, and his loyal lunch, which went down pretty well.
took a brief trip to Shaver Lake, customers, ITC has grown into one of Before lunch we stopped by Payless
CA. It’s my safe haven: quiet, the leading torque converter companies Transmissions and Clutch. Owner
mountain living. Fortunately for me I in California. His goal?
have to roll right through Fresno to get To provide a qual-
there. On my way up the mountain, I ity torque converter to
stopped in to visit a couple shops in the the transmission repair
area: International Torque Converters industry.
and Payless Transmissions and Clutch. Raffi Pilavian, co-
International Torque Converters owner, ITC front man,
was established in 1975 by Serop “Jim” and head rebuilder has
Vartanian. In 1965, Jim began working been with the company
for Datco. He was hired as an expert for 17 years. Pilavian
machinist, and was assigned the task of got his start in the
building torque converters. business the old fash-
Then one day, his employer asked ioned way: He married
him if he thought he’d be able to design Vartanian’s daughter.
I.T.C. Inventory room
the machinery necessary to build torque Raffi says he abso-
converters. He did. He designed a fin- lutely loves his job,
ishing lathe, which also performed the the business, and the
finish weld and checked the converter camaraderie between
for leaks. It could even spin the con- the transmission and
verter to make sure it was running true torque converter indus-
on its axis. tries.
He worked at Datco for nine years I was really
until he was forced to part ways with intrigued with his story
the company. It would turn out to be the of how he came to the
best thing that ever happened to him. In US from Armenia. We
1975, Jim opened International Torque sat and talked over a
Converters in Fresno, CA. There, with traditional Armenian Raffi’s prize performance room
26 GEARS March 2010
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