I've got to start collecting and re-working some parts for those 'spare' early dampers. Thankfully, apart from being a little bit longer / shorter, the damper internals don't seem to have changed over the years of production.
Where things did change was the method of holding in the internals. The screw changed from a steel part with peg-spanner holes to a nasty aluminum version with slots (with these) to a steel slotted version (better) ...
And then on to the 'built for production' crimped version.
For me, it is quite handy to find these later ones as they are sealed better and less likely to be tampered with. Once you get the crimped end off the innards become donor parts for those more desirable early versions, with a little modification.
I have the luxury of my old lathe here but it would be quite possible to use a dremel grinder to cut the end off. There are no springs inside so it won't fly across the workshop. Just a little oil to mop up...
The guts can be a little tight so I have a simple fixture for pulling them out in a controlled way.
G