Ok, I need to eat crow. A talk with my glass people says any moderate (ever an eighth of an inch) amount of grinding will shatter the glass.

I made the mistake of looking at the edge of my glass and saw the nicely ground edge and ass-u-me(d) it was done after tempering – it is not. The grinding is done before tempering.

However, while at the glass shop I described your project and he said the price of two flat(not curved) tempered pieces of glass should run no more than $100 a side. So that is only $200 for glass. The flat glass might match the old time look of the vehicle too.

 

No need for eating crow...I doubt that it tastes like chicken!

There is still a debate as to whether or not a water-jet can cut tempered. When the time comes & I can find a willing operator, I'll try it. I really don't think it'll be a problem finding laminated safety glass though with the same curvature to have cut down to fit...I really don't want to lose the nice curvy shape of the HHR liftgate!

 

can holes be drilled in tempered glass? say for hinges,I want to make my rear quarter glasses open like mini vans.

 

See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempered_glass

It would seem from prior posts in this thread that the glass would have to be un-tempered, drilled and then re-tempered.