Sockets & Related Tools
Healey Journal
After a good set of wrenches a ratchet and socket set are essential, must-have tools for any mechanical work- and I'm not so sure that I wouldn't place them before wrenches. A brief overview of the alternatives and their uses:
Ratchets & Associated Tools
A 1/2" drive set, with a set of sockets on a storage clip at the bottom, a standard ratchet and universal joint shown in the middle and 6" & 3" extensions at the top along with a deep spark plug socket having a rubber insert to hold the plugs.
A 3/8" drive set, with a set of sockets on a storage clip at the bottom- on the right are two spark plug sockets and a universal joint, at the top is a long ratchet with a flexible head, in the middle are a 6" & two types of 3" extension. One is a standard square end for the socket. The other is a "wobble" fit to allow it to be used at an angle if necessary. Note too that the "wobble" one has a knurled shaft and may be more easily used to quickly turn nuts without using the ratchet. |
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The most commonly used ratchet and socket sizes are 3/8" and 1/2" sized drives. These will suffice for most mechanical jobs. There will be times when the smaller 1/4" drive is useful. There will be far rarer (for most people its never) times when the larger 3/4" drive is needed.
The ratchet allows nuts and bolts to be quickly and easily fastened and unfastened. A ratchet with a set of sockets is just about the most useful tool available. While most people might recommend the 1/2" drive if you had one and only one I'm very partial to the 3/8" drive. Its lighter and a little easier to use, and a little cheaper; and fine for virtually all the light duty maintenance activities most people undertake. Once you get to those jobs that require the higher torque capabilities of the 1/2" drive its probably sensible then to have both....
The capability of a standard ratchet and socket set may be expanded by:
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A "wobble" extension that allows better clearance, if needed... |
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Extensions: An extension is simply that- a longer shaft that allows the socket to reach places where the ratchet itself cannot- this allows you to work around obstructions. Common sizes are 1.5", 3", 6" and 12" and longer ones are available. While several short extensions may be assembled into a longer one the whole is a little unwieldy and heavier than a single one- and prone to separate at inconvenient times. I've found a 24" extension to be useful for exhaust manifold bolts- they can then be very easily reached from beneath the car. Shown in the photo of the 3/8" set is a wobble extension. These are designed so that the socket fits to a rounded end on the extension. This allows the extension to be angled to provide clearance. These are useful for modest angles, but for greater flexibility a proper universal joint would be necessary.
A 24" Breaker bar for uncooperative nuts and bolts. And a smaller 1/4" drive version:
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Breaker bars: The typical ratchet is only 6 to 9" long. It is a very useful tool but doesn't always offer the leverage necessary to loosen particularly uncooperative nuts and bolts. In these cases more mechanical advantage is needed and a longer shaft allows that. But a long shafted ratchet wouldn't be so useful otherwise (it's be both heavier, harder to use in close quarters, be slower to position and use, and would be more expensive). The cheaper and practical alternative then is a breaker bar- it has the longer shaft needed and a fitting to drive a socket or extension but lacks the ratcheting mechanism. These allow you to break loose the recalcitrant hardware- and then once its loose the ratchet may be used to more quickly remove it. Common sizes are 12", 15", and 18" and longer ones are available. I've found that a 24" breaker bar is more than adequate for producing enough torque to strip virtually any nut or bolt I wish to destroy....
Universals: Sockets fit directly onto the item being worked on, and the ratchet then operates at right angles to it. This is not always possible due to obstructions. In these cases it may be necessary to use the ratchet so that it drives the socket from something other than a 90º angle. For this a universal may be used. Of course, the socket itself may be placed on the nut or bolt on an angle, but that may damage it and make for a difficult problem. Its also possible to obtain "wobble" extensions that allow a limited range of angle as noted above. Instead a universal may be used to provide a greater range of movement and allow access not otherwise obtained.
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Drivers: Sockets themselves may be used with drivers- the most basic is just like a screwdriver but ends in a square drive for a socket's fitment, and a most useful type has a flexible "shaft". Special socket drivers are available, as are the plain shafts (usually 1/4" drive) that may accept a variety of different sockets. Where the sockets have to be driven a distance its sometimes useful to have a speed-driver- an offset crank like an old-fashioned hand drill (sometimes called a brace) that allows the socket to be driven very quickly.
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Specialty Ratchets: The standard ratchet is one of the most useful tools. But its possible to improve on a good thing. Maybe? The photos show both a standard ratchet and one with a flexible head to allow its use at angles in awkward positions. The ratchet on the right in the bottom photo shows a further advance on this idea. This allows the drive shaft to pivot rather than the whole ratchet head. It can be locked down for normal use. Alongside it in the photo is a small ratchet with both 1/4" and 3/8" drive on opposite sides. One ratchet for both.
In addition there are other specialist ratchets-
FACOM's CDX drive, a 3/8" ratchet with an odd shaped drive shaft claimed to deliver more torque.
USPRO's through ratchet- the socket's outsides are hex shaped themselves to fit within the head of the ratchet, and the whole can fit on the nut or bolt. This is particularly effective for fittings having long shafts, though it seems to me that a suitable wrench would do the job just as well.
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Another special ratchet is simply reduced to a wheel. This eliminates the handle and allows the rathet and socket to be used in very tight places. The fastener can first be loosened with a wrench and then the wheeled ratchet used to remove it.
This is particularly good for "snugging" things up quickly before torquing them down.
As noted above, the most commonly used ratchet and socket sizes are 3/8" and 1/2" sized drives. supplemented by the smaller 1/4" drive at times.
Issues:
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Six vs Twelve Point: most sets provide twelve point (sometimes called bi-hex) sockets. These are very useful and fit more easily onto the fittings being worked on. The socket offers twelve different positions that will fit to a nut. A six point socket offers only six positions, so it is not quite so quick to put on, and if there are obstructions to work around it may not be so easy to use. In most cases, a twelve point socket is preferred as its easier to use. There are times, however, when a six point socket is more desirable. The six point socket has thicker walls (fewer "notches" in them to accommodate the nut's and bolt's corners) and is stronger for applications involving high torque. The six point socket is also desirable when the nut or bolt has been damaged and there is the possibility of "rounding" off the fitting. In these cases the six sides on the socket more closely match the fitting and make better contact with it. The twelve point sockets make less contact with the surface of the fastener and are more likely then to shear off the edges they bear on.
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Standard vs. Deep: Not really an argument for most socket sets are the standard depth- these are the most useful and are appropriate for most applications. There may be times when a deeper socket is needed. Most often this happens when there is a longer than normal shaft to the bolt being used. A deep socket can then clear that and allow a ratchet to be used in preference to a wrench. A deep socket can also serve as a kind of mini-extension so that a ratchet can be used when obstructions make a standard socket and extension unworkable. A further advantage is that deep sockets tend to be six-point. They can thus provide a capability for handling damaged fittings beyond that of a standard set.
I've a standard set of twelve point sockets that I use for practically everything. But I also have a six-point set of deep sockets- these are the applications for which the extra strength of the thicker sides may offset the added length. So I've got the advantages of both length and strength in the deep set and the convenience of easier use in the standard set that may be needed in applications with tighter clearance.
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Necessary for engine work, and sometimes useful in other applications. The photo illustrates two types. The traditional one at the top consists of a long beam on which the socket fits and is used to drive the nut or bolt. As the fitting is tightened the beam bends and a pointer attached at the head shows the torque being applied using a scale near the handle. A simple and effective tool. A more modern approach is shown at the bottom of the photo. With this the desired torque is set by twisting an adjusting ring at the handle to the desired level. The wrench is then used to tighten the fitting until a little "click" occurs when the desired torque has been achieved. In my experience this has worked well, but there are people that consider these prone to calibration error. In any case, the traditional wrench works just as well, and is cheaper.
Hiya, big boy wanna hava gooood time? Er, no, not quite the stud puller a Healey really needs.
Studs- basically headless bolts. Used to mount all kinds of things, usually on engines. These can be installed or removed by a standard method. Or removed by non-standard methods.
The Standard Method:
Two nuts, tightened against one another.
Then a wrench is used to drive the stud, and the smaller second one used to hold the two nuts tight. |
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NOT rocket science. Simply thread two nuts onto the stud and tighten them firmly against each other. The stud may then be extracted with a wrench. If the stud is very tight it is usually necessary to hold the "stop" nut in place with a wrench against its being moved when the "driving" nut is being turned. When removing a stud it is the "inner" nut to be turned to back the stud out. When installing a stud it should first be started and then the nuts threaded onto it, with the "outer" nut then being used to tighten the stud in place.
Simple, easy and very cost effective.
The standard method of using two nuts works well and is the recommended approach. But it isn't always effective- some studs may be too tightly held and the nuts strip their thread, or those on the stud. Studs may also be broken or lack sufficient useable threads.
In these cases special stud pullers may be used. They basically work by applying a self tightening wedge against the studs. The wedge generally has a cross-hatched surface that will dig into the stud to grip it more tightly. These tools will usually leave marks on the studs and will damage any threads they meet. This damage makes these tools less suitable for installing studs than the easier "standard" method. I also suspect that the amount of torque applied in mounting studs with these tools cannot be reliably measured, though I've not tried....
I've used two:
Non-Standard Methods:
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One by "PROTO" is roughly 30 years old. Its a glorified 1/2" drive deep, thick walled "socket" with smooth internal sides. At its bottom is an off-set hole passing from one side through to the other, through which a heavy cast wedge may be slipped to jam against the side of the stud and the inside of the tool. The tool is then turned using a 1/2" drive to loosen the stud.
This is an effective and well made tool- its easy to use and fits areas with limited clearance. Once the stud is removed it is easy just to knock the wedge free with a hammer from the other side.
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The other is by "DRAPER" and is current. Its a round piece of steel with two holes intended for different sized studs. A short extension is driven from the top of the tool using a 1/2" drive and it turns a large round bit with a cross-hatched face until it wedges against the stud.
This is a well made tool, but it is ineffective. Very fiddly to use and it requires acres of room. Once the stud is removed the whole assembly remains jammed tight, and releasing everything can be a hassle. An overly complex tool with no advantage over the older "PROTO" one. It looks nicer, though....
Little wrinkles beside your eyes? Er, no again.
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A crow's foot is a wrench head that may be used with a ratchet, extension or breaker bar. These may be useful to clear obstructions. I've used these for manifold fittings. I could probably go years (and have, actually) without needing one. Of course, a crow's foot attached to a 24" breaker bar makes one very convincing wrench, useful for breaking any bolt that a standard wrench isn't up to.
Copyright© 2005 James M. Wilson All rights reserved.