Tooltime

TOOLTIME

If you've ever done much mechanical work, you've no doubt faced the challenge of loosening a fastener that’s almost, but not quite, inaccessible. They’re usually found in narrow openings or shallow recesses that won’t allow an open-end or box wrench to fit cleanly on the head of the nut or bolt, and a ratchet-and-socket combination is too tall to fit in the available space, even if you use a short socket.

Forthose predicaments, Craftsman offers a very inexpensive tool set specifically designed for loosening fasteners in these kinds of limited-access areas. It’s called the 3-Piece Socket Cap Set, and it consists of a trio of hexhead adapters that plug into the squaredrive receptacles of all 1A-, 3/sand V2inch-drive sockets. With the adapter in place, you use either an open-end or box wrench to turn the socket and loosen or tighten the secluded fastener.

So far, I’ve not found a situation in which one of these socket caps failed to get the job done. When the available clearance has permitted, I’ve even been able to use a ratcheting box wrench to turn the affected fastener in or out more quickly than with a conventional openend or box wrench. On several of those occasions, this simple little $10 tool prevented me from having to remove an engine from the frame just to gain access to one lousy bolt.

Since this is a Craftsman tool, the 3Piece Socket Cap Set (part #43303) is available at any Sears retail store. Or you can buy it online by clicking on “tools” at www.sears.com.

Paul Dean