Hey all,
Today I received the order I placed with Volks Cafe (Kyle's place) for
two rear hatch struts and a back-up light switch for my '81 Westy.

The struts were $25 each and are the original equipment, the ones that
let the hatch stay wherever you decide to raise it to (neat!) and the
back-up light switch was $6.95.  Kyle was very helpful on the phone and
the order, shipped UPS ground from California to Virginia came in about
a week.  

I put the hatch struts on very easily, tho it took me a couple minutes
to figure out the weird retaining wire thing on the ball-end of the
strut.  Now the hatch stays up!  Even when it's cold out!

Also put the new back-up light switch in, and they still didn't work.
Then I thought - hmmmmmmm.  I removed the washer that goes in between
the switch and the trans case on the theory that the switch just wasn't
getting pushed in far enough.  Sure enough, that did the trick.  Turns
out I didn't need a new switch after all :( .  Oh well, now I've got a
backup back-up light switch :)

I wish fixing everything on a VW was that easy! :)

Thanks for all the advice you all gave regarding the struts and back-up
lights.

Sean