Fri Jul 03, 2009 5:53 am by GutterClown
You can just extract the springs through the side of the bible, without cutting full "cut-away" trenches into the side.
Drilling a small hole in the side of the bible, under the caps but not too close to the plug (so that you don't get any interference).
With this small hole (much smaller than the pin size), you should be able to tease out the spring and solve your problem.
With the spring ripped out, you can attempt to plug the hole(s) but for functionality purposes it shouldn't be required.
Being housed inside the padlock body, the holes will not be visible.