Installing a 121” TSL suspension in a ’95 or ’96 ZR
You will need to do a little work for the new front mounting holes. You have to cut off about ¾” of the existing front inside plate using a die grinder with a cut off wheel. You cut it 1/8” back from where the front edge of the stock front arm touches the inside of the tunnel. Scribe a line top to bottom and carefully cut along the line. You need to grind the front row of rivets off on the inside and use a punch to remove them. Get a screw driver under the front edge of the plate when it looks like you are almost cut through and pry it up and wiggle it back and forth until it breaks off. If it doesn’t break off you need to make your cut deeper. Go slow so you don’t cut too far into the tunnel!
Next, inside the tunnel you add a 3” wide by 4” high piece of 16 gage (.060 thick) steel butted up to, and in front of the existing plate where the cut off piece was removed. Position it so the bottom of the new plate is even with the bottom of the existing plate with the 4” leg of the plate vertical. You may have to grind off a rivet or two on the inside of the tunnel to get the plate to lay flat. Pop rivet it in using 3/16” steelrivets. Use the existing holes you punched the two rivets out of for the rear mounting holes in the new plate. Have a helper carefully drill the rivet holes in the new plate from the outside of the tunnel using the two holes you punched the rivets out of while you hold the plate in place from the inside, installing a rivet after each hole is drilled. Once these rivets are installed drill all the other holes from the inside of the tunnel. Drill three more holes on the front side of the new plate, one on the top in the middle and one above the 2 rear rivets already installed on the rear side of the plate. They should be about a 1/2” to 3/8” away from the outside edge of the new plate. Install the second plate the same way on the opposite side in the front.
The new front mounting holes are located about in the middle of the new plate. The front hole is 2” forward of the existing row of stock mounting holes and 4 ¼” down from the top of the inside of the tunnel. Mark and drill these holes with a final diameter of 13/32” using one or two steps in diameter to get there so the hole location does not wander. Make sure to center punch the first hole before drilling so it does not wander.
Next drill the new rear holes. They just catch the front of the existing plate inside of the rear of the tunnel. The rear holes are 23 ¾” back from the new front hole and at the same height as the stock rear hole. The rear holes should hit a dimple in the existing bracket. If you want to drop the suspension out of the tunnel in the rear for deep snow, make new rear brackets and keep the 23 ¾” dimesion center to center when swung on an arc from the new front mounting hole. Drill all holes from the inside of the tunnel and take all measurements from the inside. Install the TSL suspension and you are finished. Save your old rear shock, they are the same. The front shock on the TSL is longer.
Happy new suspension !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This information is provide for your benefit and there are no warranties either expressed or implied. If you use this information, send me a donation after you try it and find out how easy it was with good instructions. Dave Schumacher – 525 Harbor Lane N. – Plymouth, MN 55447