Quote:
Originally Posted by Weather Spotter
....Must still have full use of rear hatch...
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Hi,
If you mean full use of the stock hatch, I would advise against it...
Creating an opening in the extension for the stock hatch will not be practical and severely limit the strength of the extension.
Mike from aerocivic already has the best idea regarding this. Copy his idea of creating a new hatch including any glass to see out the rear of your Matrix.
Then, with the stock Matrix hatch off the car, you can use the existing hinges as mounts for the extension. You will likely want to move your new hatch pivot points at least six inches rearward of the existing pivots to allow for mechanical strength of the extension in this area.
Just an idea on how to do it.
EDIT @9:59am
Just read Mike's (aerocivic's) response above, and opening the hatch sideways should work great for your Matrix, which has more height than the Insight. If you do go this route, try to keep the opening shorter than the full height of your vehicle to allow extra strength of the extension.
It's especially important to allow the top and bottom surfaces to start curving up/down before creating the side opening. This adds a lot of mechanical strength to the design.
Jim.