I was told that a 00 hatch would fit on a 97 integra but the hatch seems to be a bit loose when it it closed. It probably has about 1/4 give when you lift up on it so when you hit a bump it makes racked. I am also afraid that it will leak water into the hatch area.

Is it correct that the 00 hatch will fit a 97? They look about the same the hatch locking piece says SK7 as does the 97 one but the design is a but wider at the top of it. I am wondering if these are what is causing it.

I tried to unscrew the thing but those screws are really in there tight.

 

The hatch is the same. You have to remove the D-shaped hook because it is longer on newer integras than it is on older ones. Once you replace that with the hook from the old hatch you can adjust the hatch with the rubber bumpers that look like big screws that are located on either side of the hatch. Good luck

 

awesome. THat's what I was thinking was the problem. I will go ahead and try to get those off.

Any ideas on how to loosen screws that are really tight? I took a makita drill to it and it didnt even budge it. I dont want to strip it

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MilanoRedDC2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The hatch is the same. You have to remove the D-shaped hook because it is longer on newer integras than it is on older ones. Once you replace that with the hook from the old hatch you can adjust the hatch with the rubber bumpers that look like big screws that are located on either side of the hatch. Good luck</TD></TR></TABLE>

Really appreciate the help. I got this bad boy working now. Had to grab locking pliers and use a screwdriver to get em undone.

 

You need to get a large phillips screw driver, preferably a #1. A #2 could work but it may strip the head if the screws are too tight. Also, the screw driver needs to have a hex formed into the shaft near the handle. This is there so you can put a box end wrench on it and turn the driver, giving you more torque. Snap On as well as some other brands' screw drivers have this feature (pic linked below). You will, of course, have to apply a decent amount of pressure on the end of the screw driver to keep the tip seated in the screw.

 

put the philips head screw driver on the screw and turn the screw driver with vice grips, applying loads of pressure against the bolt so it wont strip. i had to do this for my door latches, i'd imagine its the same exact setup.

 

use an impact screw driver.