I am a Chevy man through and through, but they dropped the ball when they designed those clips. Toyota, Ford, and a few others have it all over them with the plastic snap clips.
I use a 90 degree pick some times two of them to lift and slide the clip. Oh yeah I also keep a bag of new ones in stock. That way when I get irritated I can just snap the clips in half with a small pair of vise grips, and reinstall the rod with brand new ones.