I understand you put the link with the pins on it through a set of rubber O's, then through the ends of the chain, and then through another set of rubber O's.
what comes next? the plate or the clip?
Master Link - rubber O - chain - Rubber O - Plate - Clip on outside
or
Master Link - rubber O - chain - Rubber O - Clip - Plate on outside
??
if the Plate comes first, how far down the pins do you press it? Right now, i have it in the groove, do I keep pressing past the groove, then put the clip on last, and slide it into the groove?
The clip holds the plate on. Press in the plate far enough for the clip to slide on.
Plate first then clip. The solid side of the clip needs to face forward in the direction the chain turns.
Make sure you grease up the master link pin really well otherwise it'll fail quickly. Most chains should come with a little packett of grease.
From the back:
Master Link -> O-Rings -> Chain -> O-Rings -> Plate -> Clip
If you can get your hand on a proper press, it's the best way to do it...
If you wanna be a yackass, like me, you can use the plate from your old chain to get the new chain on far enough with a pair of plyers... Again... This is how yackasses do it.