Homemade Ratchet Socket

shew01 said:
I bought the (expensive) ratchet from Snyder’s or Bratton’s, and it doesn’t come anywhere close to fitting my car.
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There are a large number of aftermarket ratchet nuts in the wild that do not fit – they're either too small at 1-1/4" or too big at 1-1/2". Having deformed "hooks" is also common.

My ratchet nut was so beat up that I removed it and installed a bolt (15/16" head, 5/8"-18 threads, 1-1/4" long) and hardened washer. Since the bolt is shorter than the ratchet nut, I can fit a normal socket on it and turn the crank precisely using a breaker bar. If I ever sell the car, I'll put a new ratchet nut on it.
 
ndnchf said:
What part or where does it not fit? I have one too. It works great, but is a tight fit to get it in place. Maybe yours just needs a little grinding for clearance somewhere.
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If I recall correctly, I was trying to use it from under the front of the car, so I was working blind. I couldn’t see what was causing the fitment issue.


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mcgarrett said:
Save yourself some grief and buy the ratchet wrench made for turning the crank nut, especially if you have a front mounted tool box. The special wrench makes turning the crank a real breeze!

P. S. Don't forget to remove the wrench from the nut when your done!! Unlike the original hand crank, the ratchet on the crank it will not kick it out of the way. Ask me how I know...
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I bent one up from an inexpensive 1⅜" wrench. I'm too cheap to buy one from the vendors for $40.

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