I don't believe there was any design change and your photo looks just as mine did after installation.

I took the bumper... pushed it up and brought the bottom lip out over the hitch. Then I drew my hitch onto the bottom edge of the bumper with a felt tip pen. I held the bumper out and away from the hitch as I made my cuts, stopping and checking for clearance frequently. No Rocket Science involved!

Come on paulBvtn... Go ahead! Be Brave! You can do it...!

P.S. It's not the wife's car, is it?

 

Nope, it's mine. But I'm probably more finicky than she is!!!

So how close does the lower lip of the bumper come to the retaining pin hole?

I have a locking pin, so need a fair amount of clearance on the side for it.

P

 

The lower lip covers the hitch pin. You'll have to feel your way behind the bumper to insert it or push up (really flexible) and and for the clip you'll have to push up on the lip, insert it, and then it too will be behind the bumper. The opening I have allows the hitch bar a straight in shot. Only my clip pin touches the bumper itself while hitched and that can change with how you secure the hitch-pin and how much trimming you do on the bumper.

I wanted the hitch but I didn't want it to show, so cutting the minimum amount needed accomplished the look I was after. I also got a taller ball-mount from Curt, as the HHR's hitch made for all HHRs and the SS sits lower than a regular HHR therefore it needs a little height to compensate and level things out. I replaced the original ball mount, #45520 that has a 3 1/8" rise with a 9 3/4" length with Curt's #45024 it has a 5" rise with a 9 9/16' length and unless you have some weird trailer coupler, everything still clears.

 

Musicguy, any chance you could measure your HiddenHitch from below like in my photo?

I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks

 

I looked, I can't really make sense of it relating to yours exactly.