When it comes time to attach 'zee clip', I used a piece of solid wire to pull the lever (in the door with the ball on it) down and held it there with some tape. I also shimmed a screwdriver behind the lever in the door. By doing this, the lever in the door is fixed in position, and applying pressure while trying to seat the socket to it won't deflect it all over the place. I used a wooden handle from a kitchen utensil to apply pressure from the door handle hole with an additional buffer (cardboard), as to not dent, chip, or otherwise damage the door body. I also setup a light source from the bottom portion and vent duct of the door, and I looked in from the small hole in the door handle. It took a lot of force to seat the ball on the socket. Most of the trick was keeping the ball from rotating on the threaded shaft.
While I had the handles off, I gave everything a thorough cleaning and relubed everything. Another lesson learned was to be cautious when replacing the lever on the door handle. The handle is cast aluminum and will crack easily. Be careful when removing the pin that affixes the lever to the handle.
As far as the handle being stiff, one of mine required more force after reinstallation. I believe this was due to the adjustment of the variable lenght connector piece. Rather than taking it all apart again, I loosened the handle using the M5 cap screw on the inside of the door, actuated the door handle, repositioned the entitire handle as it sit on the door, and retightened the screw. This allowed everything the right amount of travel and alleved the excess force being applied by the bits not being aligned correctly.
