Best screwdriver for tight spaces?

[Hemlock]

I need a better solution for adjusting a carb with very little clearance, and wonder if you guys know something I haven't thought of yet. I was thinking of these Craftsman finger bit screwdrivers. They would work, but I'd like something without the second bit holder on the other side, to keep length to an absolute minimum.

Currently I am using something similar to this Gearwrench micro driver. Getting it on the screw and aligned with the slot is much more difficult than something I could spin with my fingers. I've also tried an S-K 1/4" palm ratchet, but with the bit holder it's longer than the Craftsman drivers.

Is there anything similar or better out there I should consider before heading to Sears in the morning?

 

[bonneyman]

I have one of those C-man bit holders. Work great! And I don't see why you couldn't just grind off the bit holder side that you wouldn't use. It's cheap enough, and, if that gave you the narrowness you need, why not?

 

[tshetter]

Wera Bit Ratchet.

 

[fhemm20]

I have this EZ-RED 1/4 drive combo ratchet that you can put 1/4" bits in and works well. very fine tooth (forget the tooth count)

http://www.ezred.com/product/stubby-quarter-stick/

 

[shockwave]

Sunex bit set or get some Phillips and flat 1/4 drive sockets (single piece like vim) and a 1/4 breaker bar

 

[jeremy v]

The Craftsman finger bit screwdrivers the OP posted should work pretty well. I have one of those, and by looking at it I think you could actually press the donut shaped grip part more towards the hex bit end to allow you to grind even more off the back end to make it shorter.

 

[jeremy v]

After thinking about it, I decided to go ahead and perform the mod to my own finger adapter because I think it would be more useful to me that way. I took a couple pictures that might help you in your decision. It was very easy. I just hammered the donut shaped grip towards the hex bit end and then cut off the back end as much as I could without interfering with the stop that prevents the hex bit from slipping all the way through the finger adapter. The total diameter of the finger grip is about exactly 1", and the total depth (including a 1" hex bit) is now 1-1/8".


As a side note- if you need the screwdriver even shorter, you can cut the hex bit itself shorter. Then the total installed length of the whole setup could be brought down to a minimum total depth of around 3/4". That thickness puts the hex bit so far into the adapter that the head of any screw would be almost touching the yellow finger ratchet frame when screwing.

 

[Hemlock]

That looks great, thanks for the pics!

 

[nicksnothereman]

I need a better solution for adjusting a carb with very little clearance, and wonder if you guys know something I haven't thought of yet. I was thinking of these Craftsman finger bit screwdrivers. They would work, but I'd like something without the second bit holder on the other side, to keep length to an absolute minimum.

Currently I am using something similar to this Gearwrench micro driver. Getting it on the screw and aligned with the slot is much more difficult than something I could spin with my fingers. I've also tried an S-K 1/4" palm ratchet, but with the bit holder it's longer than the Craftsman drivers.

Is there anything similar or better out there I should consider before heading to Sears in the morning?

Uh...depends on your definition of clearance but a small pocket knife (maybe l configuration) might work using the back edge (non sharpened); put tape on the blade so you don't cut yourself. Could also sideways a stubby screwdriver and use the edge of the blade to turn (slotted obviously). Spark plug gapper, yadda yadda yadda, there's lots of stuff that I'd throw at a problem. I've got...a lot of stuff and an active imagination.

Gotta use your imagination dude.

 

[bareass172]

Depending on what I need I have a myriad of options. I have everything from 1/4" drive bits shaved down on the backside so they're shorter, then turn them with a 1/4" wrench. You mentioned a carb, I have one of these for tuning bike carbs:
http://www.carbtune.co.uk/bevel.html
I recently bought this set from GW:
http://www.gearwrench.com/hot-deals...int-metric-pass-thrur-socket-and-bit-set.html
in both metric and SAE, but I got it mostly to use as a ratchet bit driver like others mentioned.

As was mentioned, it would depend on the situation and where your clearance issues are.

 

[Fedwrench]

Have you considered the old school offset carb adjusting sets found on ebay?

 

[CJM8515]

If its what Im thinking its for (carb in a tight spot on a motorcycle or similar), then for the money you cannot beat the motion pro carb screwdrivers. They arent that cheap, but they are designed for this job and are a long screwdriver with a 90 degree bend that is on a ratcheting mechanism. Works super well.

 

[Hemlock]

I'll have to look those up, they sound good. I'm dealing with an aftermarket carb inside a small frame Vespa.

 

[n8n]

I have this

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-5-pc-ratchet-wrench-set/p-00947478000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

and it's a real problem solver, although in retrospect I wish I'd bought a better one. I think I picked it up off a sale table not knowing if I'd use it or not, and it turns out that I do - only rarely, but when I do, I need it. I'm assuming that Snap-On probably makes something that looks the same but has a much better/finer ratchet which is my main complaint with the Craftsman one. Takes standard 1/4" screwdriver bits which is great if you already have them (I also use the snot out of the red handled Craftsman ratcheting screwdriver which I don't really have any complaints about at all.)

 

[Hemlock]

Like I said, I have one of those bit ratchets. It's hard to find the slot in the screw with it, and also hard to know how far I'm turning the screw. For once, I guess that's a downside of the fine mechanism I usually love so much.

The carb is inside the body, under the seat and tank. If the idle mix screw were on the other side of the carb it would be so much easier, but I have a ton of jets for that carb already so I'm not inclined to change to something else although there are others which would be easier to get at.

Some pics of what I'm working with, with the Craftsman in place (fits well, and will help a lot, but I'm still going to look for some of those right angle screwdrivers):

 

[SoCal Garage]

If you want the best and most useful—plus, made in frick'n America—go for the Mini-Ratchet! The tool is a lifesaver and will always remain in my tool collection. First bought it when I was heavily into motorcycles. Search around for the best price if you are interested.

http://www.newmantools.com/wfmc.htm

 

[owenst7]

I have this

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-5-pc-ratchet-wrench-set/p-00947478000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

and it's a real problem solver, although in retrospect I wish I'd bought a better one. I think I picked it up off a sale table not knowing if I'd use it or not, and it turns out that I do - only rarely, but when I do, I need it. I'm assuming that Snap-On probably makes something that looks the same but has a much better/finer ratchet which is my main complaint with the Craftsman one. Takes standard 1/4" screwdriver bits which is great if you already have them (I also use the snot out of the red handled Craftsman ratcheting screwdriver which I don't really have any complaints about at all.)

A friend of mine recently showed me his gearless version of that tool that he got off one of the tool trucks. Think it was Mac. Said he likes it so much he bought a second one for home.

 

[bareass172]

Check out the Morgan 90 degree I linked above, I LOVE mine. It has a clip on handle to make it easier to maneuver, and you mentioned precision (or the lack thereof) of other methods - the Morgan has a handle with tick marks on it so you can gauge your turns. So that I couldn't miss a full turn on mine I made an additional tick with a marker, now I know every time that mark comes around I've done a full turn in case I somehow miss it. It has different length tips so it's adaptable to your job. If you have anything with a "D" pilot screw that needs adjusting, I just remove the screw and slot it with my dremel tool. I also have done this little trick when I learned that a 14-16 gauge crimp connector grabs the "D" screw very well (see pic).

Hope it gets you fixed up.

 

[Hemlock]

I like the connector trick. The bevel gear driver is on my wish list. The Craftsman will do for now.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I would think for a really cheap DIY mini screwdriver, you could probably put screwdriver bit in a 5/16" or 3/8" nut and weld it in place. You could adjust the size and the cost would be about nil, if you have a wire feed weld or TIG welder.