NHM-91 troubles: assembly/disassembly order?

[chemist]

Greetings, wise netizens of the PNW - I turn to you flummoxed by my Norinco NHM-91 and the way it accepts (or can't accept) a Tapco pin retainer plate. This plate is the replacement for the "shepherd's crook" spring, which is a royal PITA.

All the AK's I've seen allow the safety lever to be removed without disturbing the trigger group. But according to the only YouTube video I've found, NHM-91 disassembly requires the trigger group to be pulled out before the safety lever can be turned to the vertical and removed. And that's indeed the case with mine.

I've struggled mightily with it but cannot figure how that safety lever can clear the installed trigger group; the safety simply must be reassembled first. But then the new Tapco retainer plate is fixed tightly in place, and the trigger pin can't be reinserted, not all the way at least.

So I need anyone with experience to 'splain to me, is my safety lever made too crudely, or with burrs that prevent it from clearing the trigger? It sure doesn't seem that way. If it is true that the safety has to be put in before the trigger, is there some kind of retaining plate made specifically for it which has enough spring to permit the trigger pin to slip by it and snap into place?

I don't get this at all. And now I can't find the video either. But I know where to turn for help, and I thank y'all in advance.

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[chemist]

Pics for clarity, first is safe-off, second safety on.

 

[coyote223]

Probably not much help for you, but. If you replace the internals, it will not be an issue any more.

I traded into one of these. Didn't notice it at the time, but the shepards hook was missing. Someone had ground the safety down too, where it was useless. I put a tapco trigger group in, Krebs retainer, and another unknown safety. Mine pops in and out just like any other AK now. But it did before too, since the hacker ground it off. Probably no help to you,,,

 

[chemist]

That's what I was told, too: grind down the safety lever so it clears the trigger group, and the assembly procedure can be reversed. It works the same for the original and the Tapco triggers. Supposedly it's possible to get clearance without losing the safety-lever function.

I appreciate the answer! I guess I'll just hold the pins in with duct tape....