[Arran]

By the looks of the "A" battery holder there isn't much room to fit a spring, unless it was a flat one. I had to clean the battery holder in an old Sony transistor radio, I soaked the parts in a jar of vinegar, the steel brackets came up fine, treated them with phosphoric acid to pickle them, but the Japanese Phillips screws that held it in didn't fair so well, they had a plating on them, and the steel of the screws sort of dissolved under the plating, something I have never had happen with Western made screws.
Regards
Arran