I started researching DIY tinting and it seems rather discouraging...I was wondering if I removed the rear hatch would it make the process easier. Has anyone done it this way?

 

I don't know anybody with a f-body that had their hatch removed to do it.
I've had mine done twice, without the hatch removed. FYI, That hatch is Freak'n HEAVY! I didn't know how heavy it was until both my hatch lift struts went out! Also the only problem I've ran into with some tint shops is them having problems with applying the tint over the dot matrix without it looking like crap! A really good shop will get it right with no problem. And other shops will not even mess with it , they'll put black vinyl or spraypaint over the dot matrix.

Good luck doing it yourself ! And make sure you use quality tint film!