Just realized my cheap jack stands were never gonna cut it after one bad wobble

I was working on my buddy's old Camaro last Saturday, swapping out the rear brakes. Had it up on these $30 stands I got from a flea market 5 years ago. Soon as I put some real torque on the breaker bar, the whole car shifted maybe an inch to the side. Scared me BAD. Went straight to Harbor Freight and got the Daytona 3-ton ones for $60. The difference in stability is night and day. Has anyone here had a close call with sketchy jack stands and what did you switch to?

2 comments

2 Comments

john4301mo ago

Man that's terrifying, did you check the stands for any cracks or bent metal after the wobble?

nina_hall1mo ago

The way the whole assembly twisted before stabilizing makes me wonder if the floor anchors were even bolted into concrete or just sitting on top of asphalt. Did you get a chance to pull up the base plates and see what kind of fasteners they used? Because a wobble that violent usually means the bolts sheared or the concrete pad itself had cracks running through it from age. I'd be checking the welds on the cross braces too, not just the main tubes. Those joints tend to hide fatigue cracks until they suddenly let go.