Exhaust Leak

Looking for some pointers here. 07’ 2.7L exhaust leak. Hooked up a shop vac to the tailpipe and sprayed soapy water downstream. Located the leak coming from the gasket between forward pipe and the manifold. Saw the 2 compression springs and studs. Noted other people seem to have nuts and bolts but mine has studs. Hopefully some penetrant would do the trick.

After I remove the springs and studs, will I have enough room to maneuver here and replace the gasket or will I need to drop the entire front exhaust assembly for enough access room? Would prefer not do have to do that considering the piping is original from 07’ and I didn’t find any other leaks.