I've got a set, but the grooves that the retainer rings go in are facing the wrong way. Should I use a dremel to cut new grooves in, or can I get away without using the clips?

 

either or. i just opted to not rick screwing up my brand new injectors, i just put them in there without clips

 

no clips here either..

 

the factory clips are not just for looks, they hold the injector in, they may be holding without the clips but if you get enough fuel pressure or enough vibration they can slide down enough to leak fuel,

so every time your out driving it you have a chance of that injector moving and spraying gas all over (KABOOOOOOM)

ive never seen a set of ford svo injectors that didnt have the correct groove in them, i have put ls1 injectors in a lt1 with modifying the groove with a dremmel tool

 

There shoulds be two grooves, just use the other groove.

 

The injectors fit pretty snuggly into the intake and fuel rail. I wouldn't worry about one "coming out". They seal pretty well with the o rings too, but if your o ring started to crack then I suppose it could leak (but it would leak just the same with clips). IMO it aint a big deal if you use clips or not. But I could be wrong, in which case disregard everything I said.

 

No clips here either...with no problems. The clips are there because that's what holds the injector in place at the factory when they are being built.