DIY: Removing dc2 integra rear hatch and install

Disclaimer: The following is provided as a GUIDE ONLY, and neither myself nor Ozhonda take any responsibility for the outcomes of someone else doing the following. You follow these steps at your own risk!


Aim: A guide how to get an integra hatch off and on. I have done it afew times and have found this works. Hope it may help some people.
Required:Small, medium and large flat blade screw drivers. Medium Philips head screw driver. Ratchet (smaller the better) 12mm ( short) and 14mm sockets,12mm spanner, some electrical tape, male and female electrical lugs crimpier, Stanley knife, side cutters and some silicon/sealant. Also if you can find any, a friend or two(The hatch itself is pretty heavy and it’s not a one man job lifting it off the car). oh and a cable-tie if u have one;)
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...h_SAM_1505.jpg
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af11/schubey/p16.jpg
Steps:
To start I like to grab some electrical tape and wrap it around the length of my screw drivers. (as can be seen in the pictures) I do this so the screw drivers won’t scratch or mark the plastic trim as easily when your levering trim out .I like to wrap is all the way down but still leaving a small exposited bit so can get onto the clips.

First off, since the hatch will be coming off. The wiring will need to be cut. The wiring comes though at the top rite of the hatch. Start by pulling the plastic cover from its little hole in the car and pulled as much cable out form the car as you can. STOPNow at this stage before you cut it. Its good practice to disconnect your battery ( so not to short any cables and flow fuses.) Also before I cut them, I stuck a cable tie around the cables to keep then all together and to stop them falling down into the hole in the car ( if they do u should still be able to get them out).
Leave a good even amount of cable on both the catch and the car side ( so u have enough to strip and then join later on) and then cut away!

Now you need to remove some interior trim so you can get behind the roof lining and at the hinges. I started with the seat belt trim.
Remove the trim by using a large flat blade and levering it against the strap to pop it off.
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/SAM_1452.jpg

Next remove both front and back seat belt bolts from both drivers and passenger sides. This can be done using a 14mm socket and ratchet. Just leave the belts hanging there.
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/SAM_1455.jpg

You should find a circle button thing in the middle of the roof lining. This holds your roof trim to the roof of the car. Use the big flat head screw drivers to turn it 90 degrees. It won’t come out but u should feel it free the lining.
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/SAM_1456.jpg

You might also find a small plastic hook above your triangle window.( mine was on the drivers side of the car). With your fingers, pull the flap open and unscrew it with the Philips head screw driver.
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/SAM_1503.jpg

You are now ready to start unclipping your grey window trimming. You can see in the below photo how the clips run along the top of the trim.
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af11/schubey/yo.jpg

I started at the top corners closest to the window.
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/SAM_1458.jpg
Wedge you screw driver in and leaver the trim outward. The clip should pop out. If not, try getting closer to the clip and even behind its little flap if you can. It should pop out.
I then got my screw driver in and pulled away the clip on the other side of the trim.
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/SAM_1460.jpg
You should now to able to grab the trim and pull it outward poping out the remaining top clips.

Do this to both sides of the car.

With the top of the window trims now free, you should be able to get to the strip of trim that runs along the back of the roof lining that seals the lining to the back edge of the roof. I suggest pull the strip completely off as it is easy to get back on later.
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/SAM_1464.jpg

You should now be able to see in under the roof lining and see the two nuts that hold the hatch hinges to the roof.
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/SAM_1465.jpg

Grab your ratchet with a short 12mm socket on the end and get in there! At this stage just crack each nuts on both sides. Don’t undo them to much! Beware they may be a bit tight. Don’t be afraid to use some pressure, just make sure you are turning the rite way :) Lefty – loosie ,righty - tighty
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/SAM_1466.jpg
Ok with the nuts cracked its time to jump outside the car and take off the gas struts. At this point you will need some one to help you. The hatch needs to be supported as the struts are removed.
Grab your 12mm spanner and undo the TOP of the strut.
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/SAM_1468.jpg
Be careful! as you undo the struts they don’t suddenly fall off the hatch and drop onto your beautiful Integra. So hold it as you undo it and lower it down carefully on the car. Get you friend to support the hatch.


I suggest a person on each side of the hatch, leaning over the quarter panel holding the hatch. These people need to be capable of lifting the hatch off once it’s been realised.

So, now your ready to get this thing off. Jump inside the car armed with your 12mm ratchet. Undo the four nuts. Beware! At this point the hatch may come loose, but most likely it will still be stuck hard to the roof. As you can see in the photo below the hidges are sealed on with silicon. The stock sealant will be sealed very well and might take some moving the hatch side to side to break the bond. Once your 4 nuts are off and your sealant has been cracked off the hatch will lift straight off.
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/SAM_1473.jpg


ITS FREE!
Yes its finally off, but chances are you can going to want a hatch back on your car. So here are a few hints on getting it back on...

You’re going to need to seal the hidges back up again. Other wise water may leak inside your car when it rains. So once your ready to stick the hatch back on, grab a Stanley knife and slice away some the old silicon so it doesn’t get in the way of the new stuff. With your general silicon or some sealant of some description apply is around the bolt holes and all around where the old sealant cracked off. Don’t be afraid to cover it well. Do this just before you go to bolt it back on, so the silicon doesn’t dry before you get your hatch in place.

It can be a pain to try and line the hinge bolts back with the holes. A screw driver can be used to poke threw the holes and move the hedge into position. When trying to do this it’s heaps easier having two people holding the hatch and you inside the car.

Once on, tighten the nuts. But not to tight as the hatch may have to be adjusted.

Lower the hatch and sit on the car ( no need to close it completely). Compare the gap between the hatch and the car on both sides. Raise, loosen the nuts, tap across and tighten again accordingly, until the hatch sits in evenly in the middle. Then tighten.

Attach the gas struts again with your 12mm spanner.

Now to wire the lights and defogger!
Assuming you’re sticking a hatch on from the same model car, its just a case of matching the colors. You can join them a few different ways, but I think crimp lugs are be the best.
Sorry I’m not going to do a DIY on how to do crimp lugs ^^ but a nice little set with all the different lugs you might need and a tool can be bought from supercheap for around $15 and last you many jobs to come.

Now if you’re going from vti-r to vti-r I’m sure the colours will be the same.
You should find a:

Thick plain black
Black
Green
Green with black stripe
Green with white stripe
And a light green with a black stripe.

However if your trying to be tricky and swap on a type R hatch like I did. It changes only slightly. I found they were all the same, ONLY the thick black was a grey with a pink stripe (join to the Thick black with a green stripe) and the plain black was a thick plain gray (join to the black)
Join all the cables to its partner and make sure the connections are tight. If the lugs don’t feel quite rite or there is a bit of copper showing, wrap it a few times with the electrical tape.
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/SAM_1475.jpg
To finish I wrapped the whole bunch in a little tape and then shoved it down the whole.
Stick the rubber cover back over the hole to keep the water out.
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...y/SAM_1478.jpg

YOUR ALMOST DONE!!!!!
Sorry to say all that interior you took out, it’s gonna have to go back in. It might sound easy, but it can be a real pain. You see all your interior trimmings likes to sit over that grey triangle trim.( you can see what I mean in the pictures below) So as you go to hit it back on, go slow and use a flat blade screw driver. You don’t wreck your beautiful interior trim.

http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...hubey/ohno.jpg
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...SAM_1495-1.jpg
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a.../overunder.jpg
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/a...SAM_1492-1.jpg

Other comments:
Hope that wasn’t to hard to follow and it helps some people in the future looking to do the swap and don’t know where to start.
If you have something to add let me know :)
Thanks

That's an awesome write up! Good work!

However if your trying to be tricky and swap on a type R hatch like I did. It changes only slightly. I found they were all the same, ONLY the thick black was a grey with a pink stripe (join to the Thick black with a green stripe) and the plain black was a thick plain gray (join to the black)
Join all the cables to its partner and make sure the connections are tight. If the lugs don’t feel quite rite or there is a bit of copper showing, wrap it a few times with the electrical tape.

I dont get that part. can you re explain that