Freakin' Horseshoe clip!!

I am soooo frustrated! Spent the last 45 minutes simply trying to re-use my existing horseshoe clip for the e-brake arm on the trailing shoe, since the new shoes didn't come with new ones. This is on a '68 cuda with 10 inch drums. No matter what I do or how careful I am, the clip just flops back off. I've got the wave washer in place but the clip just spreads and stays spread when you press it on. Do I need new clips? Can I even get just them? Gotta just walk away for a while. Arrgghhhh! :banghead: