I got my torsion bars back in, new bushes and trying to set the rear tension. Does anyone know how much movement there should be at the back end. So far I have not fit the dampers, set the torsion bars which I thought I had too much tension on them, loosely fit shafts and wheels back on. Ran the fugitive forward and back and it all softened up. How far should I be able to push down at the back, should it touch the bump stop or be a couple of inches off it? I need help with this or I could be messing about for years.

Really don't think you should be able to push it down to the bump stops, that's for sure. I lowered the back of mine when replacing the bushes too, poly bushes are worth getting, especially as it's all cheap stuff. I set mine so the drive shafts a just a tad higher at the box than the hub, so it's level with two people in it, it works fine. There seems to be lots of issues surrounding Beetle rear suspension, so don't over complicate things, it really is a half hour job to put back together. There is a clip on Youtube that shows how simple it really is, the guy does one side, stripping replacing and refitting in about 12mins or something silly like that, thing is you really can.

My F2 is sitting so high at the back that the (IRS) spring plates are firmly on the droop stop ledges even with me (no lightweight) sitting in it.

I'm going to lower it by 1 outer spline to see if I can get some droop travel into it. At the moment it lifts a wheel clear of the ground on anything but a perfectly flat surface.

I'm aiming for the same sort of alignment as Bobby Boy. I'd like the driveshafts to be level at normal ride height.

With the swing axle set up it's not a good idea to have the driveshafts sloping upwards towards the hubs as the oil tends to run away from the bearings but with the IRS it doesn't cause a problem.

I did not know which point to start at so I went for the top lower rear bolt hole as a guide marked in yellow. The white line is it sitting on its own weight. Maybe a bit more fiddling yet.

If you have lost your original settings (and it sounds like you have) I suggest the following course of action....

Using a spirit level on the bottom rails of the chassis, block and secure it until level. Spend some time and get it right cos this is now your datum. According to the manual, the standard setting gives you a 20 degree angle on the spring plate from your datum (the horizontal). You should be able to get both sides the same with the spirit level and an adjustable square.

Ok, this should give you the stand road hieght and setting for a beetle. If you now want to lower it slightly decrease the 20 degree angle by one outer spline. This is the normal for most people. But the following may be more useful; the inner splines (40 in total) equate to 9 degree per spline, whereas the outer has 44 splines or 8 degrees 10 minutes per spline. So, if you are prepared to work out the maths you can adjust the height to just about anything you want.... :D

Hope this is helpful B)

When something has been lifted way too high, or dropped way too low, it's a fair indication they didn't really have a clue. Based on this, it's probably best you lost the settings as you couldn't guarantee they were correct when you started.

You could say that both sides were different, I took one rear drum nut off which was not even had tight let alone 400 plus torque pounds as it should be. So I am going over the whole thing.

I had similar things like that on mine, some bits I could undo with my fingers, some bits I needed a scaffold bar ;) It'll be worth it in the end, that's what I kept telling myself anyway. Getting back to the question, you could just get one side how you want it ,slide bar out, mark the splines, then replicate, in reverse, to the other side. That'll work, it's pretty uncomplicated, but it'll save risk of error due to welding inaccuracy of frame etc, doing it the recommended way. I personally, was pretty worried when I stripped mine. I've never been one for old stuff, and getting to grips with the concept that something really is that basic, and you haven't missed something, really is what makes it difficult. Once you figure it, it's "Lego" basic stuff. That's what I ment when I said don't over complicate it, because that's exactly what I done and caused myself unnecessary anguish.