1. gotta cut it off with a dremel. may need to drop the gas tank to get access.
2. propane torch won't do squat, it won't get hot enough. you need an oxygen-acetylene torch, which cost several hundred bucks. after you heat it up and make it fit, that section will no longer be a spring because the act of heating it will destroy the temper.
my advise - stop wasting your money trying to fit JK stuff on a TJ. the rear springs and shocks are not a good match at all IMHO...they need 2.5" bumpstop extension to fit, and the travel really sucks compared to TJ shocks in that length range. If you're too cheap to do it right with proper length/rate TJ springs, you're better off looking into Crown Vic springs with a good set of TJ shocks.
the use of front JK springs on a TJ i've seen actually lose height vs stock TJ springs - they require a big spacer to get any kind of lift. if you lift install springs that require a giant spacer to get any lift, you're doing it wrong. you're better off using V8 ZJ springs, or using proper rate/length TJ lift springs. the JK front shocks will work on the front of a TJ, but requires about 0.5-1"+ bumpstop extension depending on how you deal with the bar pin problem.
