in addition to the holding tool, i highly recommend a 3/4" breaker bar with [most importantly] the 3/4" extension. like you, i recently tried replacing my timing belt without air tools, and with a normal 1/2" drive, i thought i was for sure going to break something. with the 3/4" tools however, that bolt came loose immediately & without undue effort. [it was disapointing in a way because i'd even gone to the trouble of buying a 5' "torque amplifier" just in case!] anyway, i wondered if i'd perhaps loosened it with my 1/2" drive efforts earlier, but i did my other civic a couple of weeks later & again, the bolt came loose immediately with the 3/4" drive. very worthwhile investment. the 3/4" extension bar is nearly 1" diameter solid tool steel. no torque-robbing wind-up in that puppy!