Kit for and method of attaching threaded fasteners in confined spaces

A kit for assembling and disassembling a threaded fastener, the kit comprising:

• a first plate having a first plate outer surface and a first plate inner surface opposed thereto, and three primary holes therethrough, a central primary fastener hole having a diameter complementary to a bolt to be inserted therein and two outboard primary holes flanking the central primary fastener hole, each outboard primary hole sized to receive a complementary support rod therethrough, the central primary fastener hole having a hexagonal countersink on the outboard face;
• and
• a second plate having a second plate outer surface and a second plate inner surface opposed thereto and three secondary holes therethrough, a central secondary fastener hole having a diameter complementary to a socket for a nut to secure the bolt to be inserted therein and two outboard secondary holes flanking the central secondary fastener hole, each outboard secondary hole sized to receive the complementary support rod therethrough,
• the three primary holes and the three secondary holes being matched, whereby a bolt inserted through the central primary fastener hole and the central secondary fastener hole can have a nut applied thereto or removed therefrom without rotation of the first plate or second plate, the rotation being resisted by a support rod inserted through at least one matched pair of an outboard primary outboard hole and an outboard secondary hole, the outboard primary holes and outboard secondary holes being asymmetric with respect to the respective central primary hole and central secondary hole.

A method of joining two workpieces together, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing two plates, a first plate having a first plate outer surface and a first plate inner surface opposed thereto, and three primary holes therethrough, a central primary fastener hole having a diameter complementary to a bolt to be inserted therein and two outboard primary holes flanking the central primary fastener hole, each outboard primary hole sized to receive a complementary support rod therethrough, the central primary fastener hole having a hexagonal countersink on the outboard face and a second plate having a second plate outer surface and a second plate inner surface opposed thereto and three secondary holes therethrough and matched to the position of the three primary holes, a central secondary fastener hole having a diameter complementary to a socket for a nut to secure the bolt to be inserted therein and two outboard secondary holes flanking the central secondary fastener hole, each outboard secondary hole sized to receive the complementary support rod therethrough;
• b) juxtaposing the first plate and second plate with a first workpiece and a second workpiece to be joined together and having a respective first workpiece hole therethrough and a second workpiece hole therethrough;
• c) inserting a first rod through one of the first plate outboard holes and through a corresponding second plate outboard hole to resist torque in a clockwise direction;
• d) inserting a hex bolt through the central primary fastener hole, the first workpiece hole, the second workpiece hole and the central secondary fastener hole in turn whereby a head of the hex bolt is disposed in the countersink of the first plate and a threaded shank of the hex bolt protrudes though the second plate;
• e) threading a nut onto the threaded shank of the hex bolt;
• f) rotating a socket over the nut to thereby join the first workpiece and second workpiece together,
• where steps c and d are performed in any order.