Yet another horn rod question

[Henryat1140]

Dunno if it qualifies as a trick, but we used two needlenose pliers.

After placing the larger u-shaped clip over the spring, we put the needle nose on either side of the bottom of the clip and pressed upward. This exposed the groove where the small clip goes. Grabbing it by the closed end with another pair of needlenose, we slipped it in the groove.