Silencer ring
 

This damn thing wont budge?!?! To make matters worse, I cant directly see it, is there a trick to removing it or what.

It is kind of a b**ch to get the ring out. I just used a flat head caught the end of the clamp ring and pryed it in then used my finger to pull in toward me the pulled it out. Check this out it has pics of the front the turbo with the ring in and out and how to remove it. Turbocharger FAQ

I used my pocket knife to pry the ring away from the turbo houseing and then slid a small flat head screw driver between the ring and houseing and popped it out:tu:. I found this method to work a little easier than using two screw drivers just my .02 but hope it helps.

I used a couple pocket screwdrivers .. it was a pain but worth the hassle

I used a small flat head craftsman screwdriver.. and got down between the split between both sides of the snap ring. Took a while.. real PITA.

X2 on PITA. Patience wins the battle, and a couple small screwdrivers and a very small hammer to do some tapping were what I used.