Rep Power: 0

I was recently given a 97 Civic DX, and the headlights and hood were basically toast. The engine runs and everything else is fine (interior is good, exterior only has a couple small dents/scratches). But I went to the pick n' pull yesterday and found a new hood and headlights off a 96 dx, which had the same measurements as my car. When I got home however, I discovered that the lightbulb itself was too shallow/inset for the new headlights. The bulb fits in the hole, and you can see it on the other side just fine, but the metal bracket no longer fits right, there's maybe a half inch seperation between the base of the bulb and the bracket fitting. Is this a big deal? I mean, the rubber back fits fine, and it feels secure, but is it going to cause wiggling on the bulb and unsteady light? I could really use help here. I can post up pictures tonight when I get off work.

 
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Also another note: I've been searching for 96 headlight bulbs and they all seem to be pretty much universal for those two years... so I'm wondering if these are aftermarket headlights. The hood was carbon fiber, a little dusty but I was stoked to find it in a junkyard. Great condition, cleaned up well, could use a waxing, but then, the whole car needs waxing. Anyway... headlights.

 
Rep Power: 512

96-00 had the same body style. That said, 96 headlights should fit a 97.. as would 98 or 00 headlights.

If you could provide pics of the bracketry in question, that'd help a bit.

 
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Yes I will provide pictures tonight. 5 more hours until I'm off work.

This car is going to be a major project for me, I plan on replacing the motor sometime in the near future, as well as putting in a stereo system and new rims. This car is %100 stock at the moment. Really looking forward to this!

 
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actually 96-98 headlights are the same however 99-00 are different. Front bumper, hood, fender, and headlights i believe are different
but yes 96 headlights should fit a 97 with no problems maybe the headlight you got from picknpull has some defects?
96-98 civics have relatively the same bodystyle as 99-00 but they are different

 
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The headlight body itself fits fine on the car. But on the inside where the bulb goes is the issue. It's the same style, all the way down to where the metal bracket fits, it's just a little more recessed than the old headlight body was for some reason. Pictures will make much more sense... lol.

 
Rep Power: 512

Forgot about the '99+ facelift.

They all still use the same headlight bulbs, I believe

 
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The newer one is on the right in this picture, with the metal interior:

This is the original headlight:

New headlight, you can see a bit of a depth difference from the previous picture:

Here's the lightbulb:

 
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Alright well I'm just going to assemble them tonight, and try and figure out a way to solidify the headlight bulbs inside the headlight chassis'. Maybe some velcro or something removable. Thanks for the help.