Good one, Karl,
I remember using the rope-a-dope trick to keep the valves from dropping when replacing valve seals in a Chevy V-8. Otherwise we would have had to pull the heads. Very time consuming, tedious job.
I tried using the impact wrench without holding the face plate, no luck, the engine whirled round and round. The wood against the cooling fin was attempted because I ordered a new face plate just in case, but I was pleasantly surprised how well it worked. The wood, obviously softer than a steel holding tool didn't break a fin yet held the plate immobile. Even so, it took a full five seconds of impact wrenching to get the nut loose. Live and loin...