TH350 Speedometer drive gear weirdness. HELP !!

[MountainGoat1966]

83 C-20 with a TH350 tranny.
The speedometer drive gear has slid forward from the section of tailshaft where it's supposed to ride, and the special spring clip has disappeared or was not installed when the transmission was rebuilt by the previous owner of the truck.
I cannot convince the drive gear to slide back onto the tailshaft, short of using a two jaw puller which I am afraid would be too much.
Anybody got any ideas how to get the gear back where it rides?
Also, I know I will need a new spring clip thingy, so I ordered it online.
Both the drive and driven gears look to be in good shape, and the speedometer worked fine until the drive gear slipped.
Here's a pic of my situation.

[GMDad]

You don't have part of a broken spring clip in the gear binding it up or has the gear turned a little on the mainshaft and jammed it as that gear should just slide on there.

[GRADYS Performance]

Tap the gear back onto the splines, Then install your clip and tap the gear back into place. If you are gentle you will not damage the gear unless you hit the teeth.

[MountainGoat1966]

I got the gear off, but with a new spring clip in position, the gear won't go back on, the flat vertical tabs appear too long and won't go through the slot in the gear.
Any ideas, please ??

[GRADYS Performance]

Can you post a picture of your spring clip by itself and one of how you are trying to install it? Put the spring clip on the shaft first with the small stub down into the hole in the output shaft shown in your first picture. Put the rounded loop part of the clip towards the transmission. Then slide the gear onto the output shaft up to the clip lining up the slot in the gear with the spring clip. Make sure your spring clip is the same width as the slot in the gear. Push the tab end of the clip down so the gear will start to slide over it then tap it on till the tab on the spring kit comes all the way thru the gear and springs up locking the gear in place.

[MountainGoat1966]

Thanks for the reply ...
That is exactly how we tried to install it, but the vertical flat tabs seem too high and block the gear from sliding on.
It's too dark now to go outside for pix, but will do them in the morning.

[MountainGoat1966]

I went out to the truck and grabbed the gear and clip.
The clip fits perfectly in the gear ...........

[GRADYS Performance]

You have the right parts. Just put it on like I described in my last post.

[MountainGoat1966]

I ended up going with plan C because plans A and B simply would not work.

I used my dremel tool and ground away a bit of the flat tabs, that allowed the gear to slide on and there is still plenty of tab to hold the gear solidly in place.

What's amazing is that the transmission didn't even have the spring clip on it and the speedo worked for three years of driving before the gear slid forward off its perch.