[steelyblue]

Is there anyone who can help me? I want to put install some new wilson thin grips on my eclipse. Do I need to get a smith, or can I do this myself? Can it be done without screwing it up?

[rcmodel]

The Quick & Dirty method involves just filing your existing bushings down until they are slightly below the screw-head countersinks in the thin grips.
You can do this yourself with a fine-cut flat file.

You want the screws to tighten down on the grips, not bind up against the tops of the bushings. If the screws bottom out on the bushings, they may gall in place, and the bushings will come out instead of the screws the next time you take them off.

The downside is the now shorter stock bushings will not fully support the standard grips should you decide to put them back on.

But the same would be true if you install the short bushings made for the thin grips.

Going that route, the new short bushings need to be installed and staked in place with a bushing staking tool, punch & hammer.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=696&title=1911%20AUTO%20GRIP%20BUSHING%20STAKER


PS: Guess this was a waste of my time.

I see you had already put them in before I answered your question this morning. (by your other thread in Autoloader Pistols)

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j219/rcmodel/KTOG/1224.gif
rcmodel

[steelyblue]

Yeah, I got them in. Thanks, though. I should have just atarted the thread in one spot, but I didn't know where I would get a response. They actually screwed in pretty easily with my fingers.

[rcmodel]

You may need to file them down inside the mag well to keep from binding up on the magazines.

If you didn't stake them, they are probably too long now.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j219/rcmodel/KTOG/1224.gif
rcmodel

[steelyblue]

I don't know what the staking in process is, but they are flush with the inside and the mags go in and fall freely just like they did before. I believe that the bushings had a smaller threaded area than did the full size bushings.