starting difficult to reach nuts and bolts

[1930 Model A Ford]

I spend a frustrating weekend changing the radiator in a PT Cruiser. There were multiple nuts and bolts that I could not reach my hand in to get them started. Asked my daughter with smaller hands for help but even she had trouble getting to them. I have seen two tools "handee clamp and the tite reach extension clamp

Both appear to be a similar design with a thumbscrew at the bottom tightening the clamp at the other end. Does anyone have experience with either of these or have other recommendations for starting difficult to access nuts and bolts?

My bruised and ****** knuckles welcome any suggestions!

 

[Wrench97]

Tear off a piece of paper towel to jam the bolt/nut into a socket, or use magnetic socket inserts, the later however can be a pita if they start staying on the bolt rather then inside the socket.

 

[quickfarms]

If I am holding the nut with a wrench I put a piece of tape across the back of the wrench to hold the nut

The are still a pain in the ***

 

[ChefRex]

+1 on the paper trick!

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Magnetic sockets, or something like Koken nut grip. IMO nut grip are preferable at they're less likely to stick to the fastener, and disconnect from your extension. Locking extensions are ideal.

 

[sick467]

A twist on the tape trick...put masking tape on one side of the the nut with enough tape to warp over the flats and then press into the socket (tape stays with the nut). OR, place the tape on the nut with the non-sticky side touching the nut and then press the sticky side into the socket (tapes stays with the socket and can be reused a couple times). Both work well in different situations. I have also used small pieces of rope caulk in similar fashion. Especially when needing a washer to stick to a nut that is going into a tight spot.

The tools you mentioned seem pretty cool, but I doubt they would get much use for nuts and the like. They seem very useful for the pinch style hose clamps.

 

[waynem]

I hot melt glued the nuts to the radiator shroud I was having trouble reaching recently. Could also Hot melt the nut to hex wrench or socket to hold it.

 

[eyeball]

Probably the lowest-cost Snap-On tool you will ever buy... I feel like I have certainly got my $4.50 out of my Snap-On YA207 over the years...

It works on nuts, bolts, and either the open or box end of the wrench.

 

[setfocus]

paper or sticky grease works, like wheel bearing grease or sil-glyde

magnetic sockets are an option but I'm too cheap for that.

 

[Renegade1LI]

I hot melt glued the nuts to the radiator shroud I was having trouble reaching recently. Could also Hot melt the nut to hex wrench or socket to hold it.

Plus 1 on the hot glue, use it for lots of temp holding, cleans off easy too.

 

[Gummi Bear]

I’ve always had good luck with electrical tape, and taping across the flat of the wrench and the nut.

If it’s down deep, I’ll use my fingers pick up tool to start a nut or bolt



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[jsaw]

Magnetic sockets. Before I had them, I used to use a piece of paper to wedge the nut into the socket.
Sometimes I will take a piece of electrical tape, or making take and wrap it around my finger with the sticky side out, then just stick a nut to the tape and reach in to wherever you need to start the fastener.

 

[jd_1138]

I start difficult to reach bolts on PT Cruisers by having the mechanical turds towed to the nearest wrecking yard and selling it for scrap.

.....................just kidding.........I love this thread. I learned some new tricks.

 

[RTM]

I have what must be a home made version or early production model of the Handee Clamp. Have never had to use it, probably because the nuts know I will win. Or just luck.

But seriously, it only works if you have perfectly flat access to the nut, you aren’t going to get access like you do with a flexi head ratchet.

I also have magnets, used a drop of hot glue to attach a nut to a socket, and used masking tape sticky side out to stop a metal plate from slipping in a recess in the truck frame before I could tip the bracket up and start the bolt. But if you can’t get your hand there, I got nothing more for you.

 

[driftpin]

Hot glue gun sounds like something that would work, but I guess my 'shade-tree mechanic' method of choosing a good piece of what we call 'palmetto' grass here in Florida, but what you may refer to as 'crab-grass' north of the M-D Line, has worked many times for me. Lay it across the socket, press the nut into it, and go to-work.

In another post recently I showed a pic of a 'nut-starter,' it's something which slips-onto a finger, w/a V-groove space, and you jam the nut into the V-groove, and use whatever to turn the bolt into it, as you reach your hand/finger & nut-starter/nut into the restricted space.

 

[bonneyman]

I found this old fashioned screw starter by Chicago Specialties Manufacturing. For 5/16" hex screws. Purely mechanical, so no annoying magnetics to pull to everything but where you want to go!

I'd think with my up-close pictures another one could be made up-sized for your bolts. (To like say 10mm) If you can get straight in. JMHO.

 

[RedneckWelder]

I’ve superglued nuts into wrenches and sockets, used tape, glued nut to workpiece, used grease, used tape to tape screws to screwdrivers (handy for electrical boxes) and so on. Basically anything that won’t FOD an engine or other component. When you have to get inventive to get a job done you do whatever you can come up with.

 

[ambenz]

bubblegum!

 

[noid]

Koken nut grip:

++

Reechet (handle turns to turn the drive end), rated for high torque.

Or Tite reach depending if you prefer that offset:

 

[Ralf11]

I spend a frustrating weekend changing the radiator in a PT Cruiser. There were multiple nuts and bolts that I could not reach my hand in to get them started. Asked my daughter with smaller hands for help but even she had trouble getting to them. I have seen two tools "handee clamp and the tite reach extension clamp

Both appear to be a similar design with a thumbscrew at the bottom tightening the clamp at the other end. Does anyone have experience with either of these or have other recommendations for starting difficult to access nuts and bolts?

My bruised and ****** knuckles welcome any suggestions!

seems to need little clearance but I don't see how you rotate the nut or bolt

maybe a nut-grip koken socket on one of those handles with a rotary drive at the end?

 

[leadfoot415]

Kind of crude, but I regularly wrap a thin ribbon of monkey snot/rubber butyl window rope around the head of the nut or bolt and jam it into my socket, wrench, etc. Works decent enough and if you drop a gob of it, who cares.

 

[bonneyman]

Koken nut grip:

Interesting concept, but wouldn't the groove to hold the o-ring make the edge of the socket weaker due to the thinning? I guess it wouldn't affect it as a bolt "starter".

 

[noid]

Interesting concept, but wouldn't the groove to hold the o-ring make the edge of the socket weaker due to the thinning? I guess it wouldn't affect it as a bolt "starter".

Its not an o-ring, its a metal spring holding ball detents:

The remaining meat is plenty, and the socket can be used to full torque.

Koken is a world class and doesn't put out half baked products.

 

[xin]

Grease works great and easy to clean off.

 

[noid]

For what its worth Tone Japan also sells sockets by the name of "nut catch" that are similar to the nut grips by koken.

 

[Renegade1LI]

The flex head ratcheting wrench with a piece of gorilla tape gets into lots of hard to reach places.

 

[turtleman321]

Am i the only one here that just shoves their hand/arm into place proceeding to cut/scrape it on a weekly basis?

I have decent sized hands, but never found a spot i could get my hand and i work on cars multiple days a week.

 

[RTM]

seems to need little clearance but I don't see how you rotate the nut or bolt

Mine holds the nut, you need to rotate the bolt separately.

 

[toddmorr]

Am i the only one here that just shoves their hand/arm into place proceeding to cut/scrape it on a weekly basis?

pretty much that. followed by regrettable language. And pain as it tries to heal over several days.

 

[bonneyman]

Its not an o-ring, its a metal spring holding ball detents:

The remaining meat is plenty, and the socket can be used to full torque.

Koken is a world class and doesn't put out half baked products.

Nice close-up!

I've seen the Koken thread - they do put out alot of nice looking stuff.

 

[mark#3]

For sockets I've used grease in it

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Wera also makes "holding function" sockets with a similar idea to koken. I used Wera to fill in some sizes not included in my koken set. They're taller, but work very well.

 

[noid]

Wera also makes "holding function" sockets with a similar idea to koken. I used Wera to fill in some sizes not included in my koken set. They're taller, but work very well.

I like the way they look; the bold lettering and color identification looks great.

 

[engineer2]

Maybe a squeeze ratchet?

 

[NYBODYMAN]

Kind of crude, but I regularly wrap a thin ribbon of monkey snot/rubber butyl window rope around the head of the nut or bolt and jam it into my socket, wrench, etc. Works decent enough and if you drop a gob of it, who cares.

Beat me to it. Always put 3M strip caulk AKA Dum Dum in the socket and jam the bolt in. Never had an issue and easy to clean up.