Starter removal?

[CarlP]

I have an early 911 with a 901 transmission, and the starter seems to have a bad brush. Last weekend I attemptes to remove it from the transaxle, and couldn't get it out of the car because the top fastener is so large that a socket won't fit over due to interferance with the starter case. I also tried a crow foot, and couldn't fully engage the hex head. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.