THE '07 SILVERADO IN THE WEEDS
DJM installs their new 3-6 drop kit for the new Chevy
Story & photos by Marshall Spiegel
The new '07 Chevy Silverado has to be one of Detroit's best efforts of late. It is a big, robust, comfortable pickup with more than enough power; excellent interior appointments and ride and handling to die for. It features stock ride height of 22 ¼" in front and 25"in the rear. Like most new American vehicles, the rear is noticeably higher than the front, resulting in a stance that is unappealing to much of the market. Drawing on the success of the drop kits they designed, engineered and are now manufacturing for the '07 Chevy Tahoe, DJM Suspension of Gardena, CA, has created a line of drop kits for the new Silverado. The dimensions of the drop kits are 2¼ inches by 3 inches; 2¼ by 4½; 3¼ by 5; 3¼ by 6; 4¼ and 7. As always, the DJM engineers' primary consideration was to produce lowering kits that would not adversely effect the Silverado's ride and handling. One of the lowest of DJM's new drop kits for the '07 Silverado, 3 ¼ " by 6", is achieved by installing specially engineered upper and lower control arms to lower the front and a flip kit and special hanger brackets to drop the rear. By positioning the leaf spring bolt so close to the gas tank, the manufacturer has challenged the installer who must remove the leaf spring pack to flip the axle. The obvious approach is to remove or loosen the gas tank and an interfering section of the exhaust system so that the leaf spring bolt can be removed. Removing the gas tank is laborious; time-consuming and expensive for the customer. DJM is offering a quicker and easier technique by removing a few elements such as the "U" bolt, the leaf spring center bolt and the brake lines; supporting the axle on a floor jack with wheels and moving the axle sideways just enough so the leaf spring clears the axle. The following photos show exactly how the DJM approach gets the job done without the need for removing the gas tank and offending exhaust system components. To further simplify the job and make it as easy as possible, the new kits from DJM come complete with ball joints installed and all components ready to install. However, to prevent damage in shipping, the zerk fittings for lubricating the twin tube sleeves are not screwed in place at the factory. Therefore, the enclosed directions require the installer to simply screw the zerk fitting into the predrilled lube holes and add lubricant through the zerk fittings. As you can see from the accompanying photos, installation of the DJM 3¼ X 6 drop kit is clean and straightforward. The result is a modified ride height of l9 X l9, giving the Silverado a considerably more aggressive and attractive stance.
#1. The stock ride height of the '07 Silverado, measured from the center of the wheel to the lip of the wheel well, was 22¼ inches in front and 25 inches in the rear. |
#2. After jacking the Silverado up, our installer removed the wheels. |
#3. First, the tie rod end is detached |
#4. He then removed the ball joint nut on the driver's side. |
#5. After jacking up the front end, our installer secures the Silverado on sturdy jack stands, a safety measure highly recommended in the DJM directions. |
#6. The control arm is then jacked up so the ball joint can be completely removed |
#7. The next step is removal of the strut and pivot bolt. |
#8. The stock control arm is now free and can be removed. |
#9. Here's a look at the DJM lower control arm (left); the stock control arm and the DJM installation helper, a very useful record of your installation. |
#10. To avoid damage in shipping, the zerk fittings are screwed into the treaded lube holes at the job and the nylock bolts are positioned to prevent over-tightening. |
#11. Here's a look at the zerk fitting screwed in place. |
#12. The zerk fitting for lubricating the ball joint is then screwed in place. |
#13. Before the control arm is installed, grease is added to be sure it is flowing freely through the twin sleeves |
#14. The inner sleeve is thoroughly lubricated by hand |
#15. The control arm is installed to the pivot point of the truck. |
#16. Our installer then carefully lined up the pivot bolts, but did not tighten them until the control arm is completely installed. |
#17. To properly position the ball joint, our installer jacked up the control arm with a bottle jack. |
#18. The ball joint and strut bolts are then tightened. |
#19. To complete the lower installation, the sway bar is installed. Note: DJM's system does not require that the brakes or spindle be removed to complete both upper and lower arm installs. |
#20. Our installer began the upper arm replacement by removing the ABS bracket and brake clip and unplugging the ABS wire |
.#21. The pivot bolt nuts are removed. |
#22. Be certain the alignment adjusters are retained separately so they can be reinstalled exactly as they were removed. |
#23. After removing the ball joint nut, the control arm is free. |
#24. Here's a look at the stock upper control arm (left) and the DJM upper control arm. |
#25. The hole must be enlarged with a rat-tail file to fit the DJM ball joint bolt which has slightly larger tread. |
#26. After the zerk fittings are screwed in place on the twin sleeves of the upper control arms and they are lubricated, the installer can position the arms in place. |
#27, The original alignment adjusters are re-installed in exactly the same positions as they were removed. |
#28. The upper ball joint is inserted. |
#29. It is critical that these two washers are installed on the ball joint stud so the castle nut seats properly with the cotter pin. |
#30. Here's a look at the finished driver's front corner with the new DJM upper and lower control arms in place. |
#31. Our installer measures the modified front ride height at 19 inches, a drop of exactly 3¼ inches. |
#32. The spring hanger of the '07 is welded to the frame and the bolts that hold it back up to the gas tank and exhaust system, making removal very difficult. DJM's approach to save time is to not remove the leaf springs. |
#33. Our installer removes the "U" bolts and the center bolts and clamps each leaf pack. |
#34. He then turns the center bolt upside down so the pin faces upward. |
#35. The axle is supported in the center with a floor jack equipped with wheels. |
#36. He then removed the brake line brackets and the emergency brake line brackets. |
#37. Thanks to the floor jack wheels, the axle can be moved sideways so the leaf spring clears the axle and there is no need to remove the leaf springs. |
#38. Here the axle is moved the opposite way to clear the spring on the other side. |
#39. The axle perch is then set on top of the leaf spring and supported with jack stands. |
#40. Our installer can now rotate the axle for the correct pinion axle. |
#41. Here's the top plate, "U" bolts and spring plate after they are fully tightened. |
#42. The original stock bump stop is then unbolted. |
#43. Our installer uses a plasma cutter to remove the bump stop bracket. |
#44. Our installer now uses the drill and tap provided in the DJM kit to create a new, treaded hole to mount a shorter DJM bump stop. |
#45. After the frame paint is touched up, the new DJM bump stop is screwed in place. |
#46. Here's the removed stock shackle bracket (left) beside the new shackle bracket which will invert the shackle. |
#47. This shackle provides either a 4½-inch or 5-inch drop. |
#48. When used with the original shackle, a 6-inch drop can be achieved. |
#49. Our installer finishes removing the original shackle bracket brace |
#50. The bracket is attached to the frame using one original bolt and three 7/16ths bolts provided and then the leaf spring is attached. |
