you are right about needing a hand. I have all the new bushes, end plates, bolts, talc, shocks, digital inclinometer, but no muscle power.
VW did fit Heavy Duty torsion bars to some buses although I believe this was mainly vans or pick ups. If you are taking apart again, measure their diameter while they are out and take a pic I think they are a different colour. Someone more knowledgeable than me will know.
Mine is slightly lowered and with the spring plates 3 or 4mm off the stops I can remove the 5.5x15 wheels with 195/70 tyres without any difficulty at all.
my spring plates sit half way when jacked up and wheels off the ground. and in that position I can grip the wheel and move it a little up and down which suggests to me there is no tension in the spring plates. if I was desperate I suppose I could use a scissor jack to force the plate down to get enough clearance to slip the wheel off, but it would be a risky business I reckon and I don't want to risk hurting myself.
A strategically placed pry bar pushing the spring plate down does the trick. It's far from ideal though..
