"But my "Westphal-ian fix " is a stick.
A fancy stick, but a stick nonetheless."

Part of the Gary Lee hatch spare tire/gas can/bike rack set up is a 1" diameter PVC about 12/14" long that gets slid onto the end of one of the struts. It automatically slides into place when the hatch is opened. Easy to release by pushing up on the hatch and cenering the PVC and let the hatch down.
This is a very old fix for this issue.

Bob Stevens
'87 Syncro Westy