Well folks, just fyi so I don't leave you hanging:

It's with a heavy heart I had to trade in my HHR. Took it to three different mechanics, two of them specializing in high performance, and no one could figure out our final issue. Either the wiring (checked out twice from top to bottom) or the ECU (tried two separate ones) couldn't be rectified. Even putting everything back to stock didn't work. Along the way something didn't work with my supercharger install. Even HP tuners couldn't get it to connect anymore so I had to give up the ghost. It's a damn shame. Mod at your own risk and good luck to anyone trying this in the future. Make sure you have a good shop and good parts, let mine be a cautionary tale. 5 months, lots of time and money, and nothing good came of it.

Thanks to everyone who tried so hard to help, it certainly was an adventure.