Re: Snap ring
as bd says, that snap ring isn't any more necessary than the o ring at the top of the lower drive shaft. ya can leave it off. with that said. i put mine back where i found it. :facepalm:
how i did it was going down to harbor freight for some cheapo chinse extra long needle nose pliers.
like this.
then i cut a groove in the tip and made them into snap ring pliers. this worked very well. somewhere between 10-15 bucks i think for a set of three extra long nose pliers. i'll likely never need them, but if it do, i got some i guess.