All advice would be greatly appreciated:

tranny is slipping and leaking fluid when driving. cannot go above 35mph. cannot climb any hills. My husband can fix if we know what to do. It looks like it's leaking from the rear seal? Also, he found a spring all mangled up that was hanging down. Can anyone please tell me what this spring might be and the location where it belongs, it's function, how to replace. PLEASE! We're on vacation and are stuck....Thanks so much.

 

Check the transmission fluid. If it is low, top it off. A rear seal leak is regrettable and inconvenient but will not immediately make the transmission slip until sufficient fluid has leaked out (usually a quart or more). Rarely, changing or at least cleaning the filter may reduce the slipping but honestly...the transmission is probably toast. Your car has an AW71 transmission found primarily in turbo cars only. Often they can be had for a few hundred dollars.

 

I agree. I wouldn't attempt roadside repairs with what you have. I'd top up the trans fluid and see if you're in luck. If it drove, I'd be mindful of the fact I could lose the transmission at any time and head straight home.
In all honesty, if you like the car and intend to keep it, I'd find the nearest reputable transmission shop and get them to have a look, with an eye to a rebuild. These transmissions are cheap and quick to rebuild, so the cost won't be horrendous.
Of course, you could get lucky and the trans shop finds it's just a mangled output shaft seal, I'd pay someone to fix that, it's a fair sized job by the side of the road, but pretty trivial if you have a hoist.