THE ’07 SILVERADO IN THE WEEDS
DJM installs their new 4-6 drop kit for the new Chevy
Story & photos by Marshall Spiegel
(Originally Published in 2007)
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 2 inches by 3 inches; 2 by 4, 3 by 5, 3 by 6, 4 by 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, 4“ 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 4 X 6 drop kit is clean and straightforward. The result is a modified ride height, giving the Silverado a considerably more aggressive and attractive stance.
Take a look at the kit, here!
