What if, we only had to remove the back half of the cross-member to remove the Transmission.
What if, there was an aftermarket two piece Tubular cross-member & it had added frame attachment points.

 

Its possible to do, but the engineering would have to be spot on in order to keep from picking up unneeded chassis flex. Considering the small percentage of owners who need to pull the transmission even once, I'd think that any advantage would be negated by the sheer PITA factor of getting it right.

 

I know a Clutch upgrade is in my near future since there's no way I'll keep this HHR off the track, I searched the Cobalt site & found nothing on this subject, I will take a look at cutting & welding on flanges so the stock cross member would work.

 

Back in the 80's GM's front wheel drive cars had 2 piece cradles making transaxle removal easier.