Wooden Pistol Grip Handle

[Rat Rod AL]

What is this deal ? Is it MOPAR ? or what ?
Looks like walnut, nicely made. Looks un-used.
@Cuda Hunter , you ever see this before ?

 

[Cuda Hunter]

@Rat Rod AL
Yes, I have purchased a few different types of wood.
There was a fella that was making these some 15 years ago or so.
He sold a ton of them. Lots of different woods.
I would assume this is one of those reproduction parts.
Not factory. But cool.

 

[Rat Rod AL]

@Rat Rod AL
Yes, I have purchased a few different types of wood.
There was a fella that was making these some 15 years ago or so.
He sold a ton of them. Lots of different woods.
I would assume this is one of those reproduction parts.
Not factory. But cool.

What would the value of this be ? Thanks for replying.

 

[rklein71]

Looks better than the cheap plastic grain original stuff for sure.

 

[Cuda Hunter]

Pistol Grips Exotic Woods/Stainless Steel, Cuda vert moldings, humps, steel scoo

Pistol Grips Exotic Woods/Stainless Steel, Cuda vert moldings, humps, steel scoo

www.cuda-challenger.com

Custom Pistol Grips: Stainless Steel/Exotic Woods

Custom Pistol Grips: Stainless Steel/Exotic Woods

www.cuda-challenger.com

Can't seem to find an old price on this piece. I believe I paid around 75 for it but not sure.
It appears that this is somehow tied into Harm's auto. You could give a call to Scott and just ask the question. I'd bet he would talk about it.

 

[Avalanche]

There was someone selling a lot of these about 6-7 years ago. I believe it was over at cuda-challenger site. I bought 2 at the time, a stained green one to match the exterior and a walnut one. Paid around $45 and $60?

 

[heminut]

My first Cuda was a 70 340 4spd. and the shifter grips were in pretty bad shape. I got with a local custom knife maker and he made me a pair from some high grade walnut gunstock material. I don't remember what i paid him for them (it was over 30 years ago) but it was pretty reasonable because in the gunstock world stuff that small was only good for knife scales and smaller pistol grips and could be picked up in lots for cheap. He had several different choices, some really exotic stuff. I stuck with the more traditional walnut.

If someone is wanting a set of custom made wood panels for their shifter I would definitely recommend seeking out a custom knife maker in their area. Those guys are a lot more common than you might think if you start asking around.

 

[DaveBob]

What is this deal ? Is it MOPAR ? or what ?
Looks like walnut, nicely made. Looks un-used.
@Cuda Hunter , you ever see this before ?

View attachment 96781View attachment 96782

You can make your own grips just as I did. You need a Dremel, a half-inch thick piece of wood for the thin grip and a one-inch-thick piece for the thick grip. I bought some birch for $5 or so and some stain. The stain I picked was to make the grips look like maple. I was too cheap to buy real maple at the time. The feature you will want to add, that many of the aftermarket grips do not have, are dowels on the inside of the thick grip. The dowels give the screws adequate thread engagement and prevent damage to the outer surface of the thick grip. The first picture shows the finished grip and a set of blanks. 

 

[Juan Veldez]

You can make your own grips just as I did. You need a Dremel, a half-inch thick piece of wood for the thin grip and a one-inch-thick piece for the thick grip. I bought some birch for $5 or so and some stain. The stain I picked was to make the grips look like maple. I was too cheap to buy real maple at the time. The feature you will want to add, that many of the aftermarket grips do not have, are dowels on the inside of the thick grip. The dowels give the screws adequate thread engagement and prevent damage to the outer surface of the thick grip. The first picture shows the finished grip and a set of blanks. View attachment 96973View attachment 96974View attachment 96975

Wow, that is beautiful!

 

[heminut]

Nice work DaveBob!

 

[Rat Rod AL]

You can make your own grips just as I did. You need a Dremel, a half-inch thick piece of wood for the thin grip and a one-inch-thick piece for the thick grip. I bought some birch for $5 or so and some stain. The stain I picked was to make the grips look like maple. I was too cheap to buy real maple at the time. The feature you will want to add, that many of the aftermarket grips do not have, are dowels on the inside of the thick grip. The dowels give the screws adequate thread engagement and prevent damage to the outer surface of the thick grip. The first picture shows the finished grip and a set of blanks. View attachment 96973View attachment 96974View attachment 96975

So if you had to put a dollar amount on your work, what would you make another one to sell for ?

 

[DaveBob]

So if you had to put a dollar amount on your work, what would you make another one to sell for ?

I had 8-10 hours into the set of grips in the pictures, since it was all hand work, with no tooling or automation. How much is minimum wage? I could make them quicker if I developed some tooling, but I only needed one set for my car. I made them years before the aftermarket ones appeared, but even if they had been available then, many of the aftermarket ones don't precisely copy the contour of the original grips. I wanted to capture the exact shape, so I kept a set of original grips next to me as I shaped the wood. For example, many of the aftermarket grips don't get the thumb rest right. The ridge of the thumb rest is supposed to run nearly the entire length of the grip from bottom to top.
The one set I made was the first time in my life that I attempted to carve anything like that. The extra set of blanks were never used because I made my first and only set right. So, if I can be successful right out of the gate, without any prior experience, you can do the same. I can give you some tips on what to do and not do and how to make them better than I did.