Jack Pad for Any Model Tesla

Tesla's cannot be jacked up like a normal car. They require the use of a special pad like these to ensure you do not damage the battery or aluminum structure of the car. You can purchase these jack pads at a variety of retailers. I found mine here on Amazon for $12 but I thought it would be fun to see if I could make some with scraps lying around in my workshop. Plywood is known for having substantial strength when compressed, which is why it is commonly used for subfloors. This wooden puck easily withstood the pressure of lifting my car, despite how heavy Tesla's are due to their battery.

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I sorted through some scraps of plywood I had lying around until I found two pieces that, when glued together, would be approx 7/8" thick. The other supplies included:

• An old 11/16 3/8 drive socket
• Carriage bolt (with nut and flat washer)
• rubber band
• wood glue
• hole saw or jigsaw
• 1" paddle drill bit
• 5/16 drill bit

The first thing I did was trace a 3" circle onto the plywood being used. You could use a hockey puck as a template or use a 3" hole saw if you have one. I didn't, so I used a jigsaw to cut out my plywood circles.

Next, I glued the two pieces of plywood together to create a wooden "puck" that was just under an inch thick. I let this dry for about an hour while I worked on the next step.

For this step, I found that an 11/16th socket was the perfect diameter to fit in the recessed hole for the Tesla jack pad locations on my car, but the socket was a little too tall. I removed approx 3/8th's of the socket by measuring and cutting with my Sawzall.

Placing the socket on a long 3/8 drive extension, I used my disc sander to soften the edges and also remove some of the rust that was on this old socket.

With the wooden pucks now dry, I used the same sander to clean up the edges and make the puck smooth and clean.

I then used a 1" paddle drill to create a small recess where the socket would rest comfortably in the puck to prevent any movement.

Once finished, I assembled the socket using the carriage bolt, washer and nut as shown. I then applied a thin coat of wood stain using a paper towel for a more finished look.

Finally, I simply wrapped a small rubber band around the socket. This creates just enough friction to hold the weight of the jack puck up in the Tesla as shown. Then, I used my new Daytona floor jack to test my creation. As you can see, I was able to lift the car without any issues. Plywood is known for having substantial strength when compressed, which is why it is commonly used for subfloors. This wooden puck easily withstood the pressure of lifting my car, despite how heavy Tesla's are due to their battery.

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