Need help with Para Expert 1911...

Arrgh. Frustrated, hoping someone can help me out. I have a Para Expert (single stack 1911), I wanted to replace the plastic mainspring housing. I ordered a steel one from Sarco (it's the curved one with a lanyard loop).

I followed youtube instructions to remove the old one and swap out the internal pieces holding the mainspring; it's supposed to be straightforward.

My problem is, the leaf spring jiggled and came out, and I'm having a ton of difficulty getting things back together now. I think I have it right, slip the new housing in, and everything works when I hold it with a punch. But when I put the pin back in, the grip safety gets locked up and the gun becomes a paperweight (and for clarity, trigger doesn't work, so it's not functional). I THINK the issue is getting the leaf spring back in the correct position; might also have to slightly adjust the mainspring housing.

Help?

Update- fixed. Once I got the leaf spring back into place, I did have to fit it ever so slightly. I now have a functional Para again, and now with a metal mainspring housing.

Reinz said:

Glad you got it working. I know the frustration of those small “straightforward” jobs.

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Yeah, ain't that the truth .

Totally random, the way it can happen. I posted here at the time, I found 2 LNIB Para Experts, for $399 each, at the LGS awhile back. I remain convinced that these were "new old stock", that the shop finally sold cheaper to get rid of.
Kept one, gave the other to my son (hey, can't beat a new 1911 at that price, especially with the fiberoptic front sight and the extended beavertail and safety).

I bought, from Sarco, 2 walnut double diamond checkered grip sets, and 2 steel curved (1911A1 style) mainspring housings, with the lanyard loops. The idea being, replace the cheap plastic grips and mainspring housing on each.

1. Mine: headaches everywhere. The grip bushings backed out instead of the grip screws, which was a PITA. I was able to screw them back in and 'torque' them just a bit, at which point I could get the screws out. Then, while doing the mainspring housing exchange, the gun wobbled and the leaf spring (sear spring) came loose. Being new to this depth of 1911 work, it was really anxiety-ridden and frustrating, and I eventually had to take the safety and hammer out. And then learn how they go back in. Nice to say, it's not nearly as bad as I feared, but still... yikes. And then, I ultimately had to take a file to the housing, and relieve just a hair's breadth. Oh yeah, upon disassembling the mainspring setup, I shot the parts across the room, and that was a scary few moments before finding everything. We're talking a couple days of anxiety and borderline despair before final success.
2. His: after I finished, my son volunteered to allow me to do his, too. We applied what we learned. His grip screws came out without issue. I compressed the mainspring while he placed a small punch into the pin hole, and then took that punch out inside a ziplock bag. After removing the plastic mainspring housing from the frame, I immediately placed my old plastic one in the slot, just to capture his sear spring and keep it in place. After moving the mainspring to the metal housing, it turned out that for his gun (perhaps the housing), there was no issue with the grip safety binding, and so it slid into place and we tapped the pin back in. Put the walnut grips on, bada bing, done. 5 minutes, tops.

What ya gonna do.

lysanderxiii said:

I have located the problem - "I ordered a steel one from Sarco (it's the curved one with a lanyard loop)"

These are inexpensive cast housings and have some dimensional variations. Sometimes they have to be fitted.

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Well, that's fine. They were $12 apiece, and were replacing the OEM plastic. As cheap as they were, I think they're still an upgrade over what was there.
Some opinion about the "cheap" walnut grips, they don't look bad and they're replacing even cheaper OEM plastic grips.

LoonWulf said:

Take pictures?.....cause i wanna see your new gun

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I'll post some after the weekend

CNobbe said:

I use a couple of rubber bands to keep the grip safety engaged when pulling a main spring housing, don't have to mess with the leaf spring.

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NOW you tell me

Reinz said:

Wow, what a bargain! I couldn’t resist that deal either.

Your luck with this project sounds about like how mine goes. Glad that second job went well!

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Yep, picked them up on a deal. This was pre-covid, I was window shopping at a large LGS known for big selection but not deals. Not planning to get anything. I checked the used counters, had the usual assortment of stuff outside my normal range (and probably about $200 over what a "good deal" would be). You know the drill, a few parkerized FEG Hi Power clones for $450, worn Beretta 92S for about the same, etc. And then, I saw them- among some overpriced (about new retail price) 1911's, the Paras. I looked hard through the glass, was it really $399, or did I misread the first digit? I handled them both, they were clean and dry. No telltale scuffs or faint scratches on either, the grips were pristine (I was looking for signs of use). Not the slightest bit of wear anywhere, except maybe on one slide (and I lean towards that being a finish blemish, not a wear mark). The internals were completely finished, no sign of wear (or oil, or dirt).

My son was with me, and he kept popping his head over one shoulder to the other like a jack-in-the-box , "what ya think, dad? Which one do you like? Do you like them? They seem nice, right?"
I couldn't decide on which one, but they seemed a fair deal for sure. Just for fun, I asked the guy at the counter if they'd move any on the price, and he said no, they just went out this morning. Both had the original box, the papers, the gimmicky bushing tool, 2 extended mags, even the bicycle gun lock- still unopened in plastic wrapper. Like I said, sure looked new-in-box to me. One has the skeletonized trigger, the other has what appears to be the same exact trigger but without the holes drilled in it. I think they're adjustable, will have to check. I then smiled and asked one last time, can you work with me on a price if I get both... he just laughed and said they have to wait a few weeks.
I said nah, I don't think they'd last that long, I'll take both. $798 was still lower than any other single 1911 in that case.
I gave my son the skeletonized trigger one and told him it was his birthday present, kept the other for myself. I contacted Para (they still reply), and they dated the skeletonized at 2013, the other at 2014.

Here's how they came, I will take new pictures shortly

From my phone...
Here's a quick couple of pics of mine now