>Could whoever (Thom?) "customized" their thumb when the spring plate got
>loose please repost that story?  I have been real leery of touching the rear
>spring since reading that.
>                           Steven Dolan

Steve,

I don't have a copy of the story, but it sounds feasable. The springplates are
under load from the torsion bars when they rest on their stops. I unloaded mine
thusly:

1. Loosen the lugnuts on the rear wheels.

2. Put the rear of the van on jackstands.

3. Remove necessary items off the springplate (see Bently).

4. Using a floor jack, jack the springplate up just off the stop.

5. Pull or pry the springplate out over the stop (be sure to keep all body parts
out from below the springplate).

6. Slowly lower the floorjack. 

7. To replace the springplate, reverse the proceedure.

Andy McKinley
75112.2101@compuserve.com
'72 Westy, looking for a Thing to buy

"...the car itself was still full of bugs." -Heinz Nordhoff, 1948, rebuilding
the VW after the war.