At wits' end Options

[Curvie Roadlover]

I am trying to replace my CV joint on the pass. side. I cannot for the life of me get the "C" ring to slide on to the axle far enough to slip into it's groove. I have taken the heat exchanger off on that side to have better access. I understand that I need to compress the spring washer to get the ring on but is this possible without removing the entire axle, 'cuz I really don't want to do that if it's not absolutely necessary. I was using the inner part of the old CV joint to push against the C ring since that is the perfect size to go over the axle and push only on the C ring. It's got about a 1/16th of an inch to go, but it might as well be a mile. How hard can I mash on it without damaging something? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)