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I tried this several times, but I'm not really sure what I'm doing and I've done it enough times to hate doing it again.

So where should the springs be for maximum tension? At the very end of the metal bar or inwards toward the plate?

Most of the youtube tutorials say the springs should be on the end of the metal bar for maximum tension. The three old Fender manuals I downloaded say that they should at the end, unless you are using lighter strings, in which case you should move them up the post towards the plate. By this I assume the tension would be less.

Now Mad Mike says the opposite, move the springs inwards up the post towards the plate. I measured this, and indeed the distance is longer, which I assume would mean more tension, except I am not at all versed in spring physics.

So where should I place the springs? It did seem like they are a bit stiffer (what I want) at the end of the bar, but I'm not even sure anymore.

Without a doubt at the end, away from the plate.

I think the spring is a tiny bit more stretched out when you move the springs up the bar towards the plate and it's in neutral position, but it's a negligible amount. It won't keep it more in tune, and it will feel kind of loose.

It's a weird system, the strings pull the cigar towards the back and the springs provide tension in the opposite direction.

But the springs are really weak. I was curious what would happen if I string it "wrong", with the ends of the strings at the end of the tailpiece. The bars with the springs were slammed into the back of the cavity (like if the guitar was strung normally and I pushed on the bar as far as it would go) and the springs provided no resistance against the string pull to make any difference.

As opposed to a Bigsby where the spring counteracts the string tension. And where it won't go out of tune unless it's strung under a tension bar.

I could not get the Mustang to not go out of tune, except with very light vibrato. And by vibrato I mean very light movement of pitch up and down, not going down a full step or that type of thing.