I finally tried that new magnetic socket set everyone was talking about for tight spaces.

Spent $85 on it, and the magnet gave out after two days trying to get at a bolt behind a firewall on a Cessna 172. Now I'm back to using a piece of safety wire like always. What's your go-to tool for those impossible spots?

3 comments

3 Comments

morgan9152mo ago

I saw a YouTube video where a mechanic swore by those old-school flexible head ratchets for firewall work. He had a Snap-on one that was maybe ten inches long, but the head could flop over almost sideways. He used it to get at an alternator bolt on a Piper Cherokee. My cheap version from Harbor Freight doesn't hold its angle as well, but it's saved me a few times when a regular socket just wouldn't clock in.

anderson.jason2mo ago

Yeah, morgan915, that's the Harbor Freight "close enough" special.

morgan.charlie2d ago

Oh man, that magnet set sounded like a great idea until it wasn't. I had the same thing happen with one of those cheap magnetic pickup tools from an auto parts store, the magnet literally fell off inside an engine bay and I had to fish it out with wire. Now I just stick with a stubby flex-head ratchet and a prayer (and maybe a drop of tape to hold the socket).