Freak, just trying to clean up a 9 speed chorus RD a bit before I install it. I don't know why I bother cause I alway mess them up and wind up mad and drunk as a skunk. Was trying to just clean up the mounting pivot bolt again and now for the life of me can't get the damn thing back together. Plenty of videos on Shimano but not this one. I can rotate the plate around but can't seem to get it to go flush with the body so I can put the snap ring back on the bolt. Mad and drunk, I don't know why I bother with these things, they just make me mad!

So when I'm sober, how do I put this stupid thing together. I'm taking this De Rosa to the shop to have built back up. It aint worth the frustration. I ride them, can't build them to save my live!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Find out what it is in life you don’t do well and then don’t do that thing...

Not worth the aggravation when you can get new for so little $$.

It sounds to me like you've taken out the mounting bolt along with it's tensioning screw. Now you're trying to put it back together again. Even under the best of circumstances those are hard to do because it takes three hands to hold and twist everything and you only have room for one. I've never attempted it drunk.

Despite the superficial, dismissive and useless responses you've already received, a complete derailleur overhaul is a useful task, and will extend the life of a derailleur significantly. I would not bother for most derailleurs, but recommended for something as nice and hard to replace as a Chorus 9-speed. Every couple of years, I pull apart my 9-speed Campy RD down to all the little nuts and springs, and then put it back together, after an application of fresh grease.

Heads up: a new Chorus RD will cost around $150, the jockey wheel cage will be too narrow to pass a 9-speed cage, and since it has an updated geometry, it will not function with your current shifters. This this is a case where new is a lot worse than what you already have.

Replacing the upper pivot plate/spring on Campy RDs is a 5 minute job if you remain calm, have the right tools, and it helps to have a second set of hands. It is much easier to do than Shimano derailleurs, but the steps are the same. You will need a 4mm hex key to rotate the plate, and you may need a set of vice grips to (very gently) compress the plate/spring while you attach the C-clamp.

Yeah, shouldn't have tried this after a couple of days sick and cooped up at home. Was ready to go nuts and this pushed me over the edge, LOL!

So let me clarify a few things. 1 end of the spring into the hole in the RD assy and then the other in one of the two holes on the inside of the plate? Now I was trying to rotate it with the pivot bolt in, is that correct? I have actually pulled this off by myself with a Shimano RD but yeah I need more hands this time. And maybe a step by step in case I'm doing something stupid.

And thanks for what you've already said.

I can't speak about Campy sprung mounting pivots (I have done some, just don't remember anything about them) but I have done many Shimano. My method is to place a hex wrench in a bench vice to act as a third hand. The pivot bolt is held/mounted on this. I make sure the "E" clip is at hand and the proper side up (that's having the sharp edges toward the drop out hanger) with a needle nose pliers near by too. A thin screwdriver provides the twisting force for the backing plate while the needle nose press the plate down and the anti twist tab now holds the backing plate's rotation to free up that hand for placing the "e" clip in place. Andy.

Andrew Stewart has it down. Campagnolo needs the same technique as Shimano, except it is easier for some reason.

I like the idea of using a hex key in a bench vice to hold the derailleur top bolt. My only difference in his approach is I use a small (say 3 or 4mm) hex key to rotate the backing plate. I find the L-shape of hex key provides more resistance to slipping than a flat-blade screwdriver. A third hand also is a bonus.

As said above, use a bench vise.