2006 Toyota Tacoma 3/4 Suspension Drop by DJM

A MORE “DOWN-TO-EARTH” TOYOTA

DJM launches a 3-4 drop kit for the ’06 Tacoma…

Story & photos by Marshall Spiegel

Originally published in 2006

2006 Tacoma with 3/4 Calmax Lowering Kit by DJM

If you haven’t driven the ’06 Toyota Tacoma, you probably won’t appreciate this article. The new Tacoma has to be a neat package in anybody’s book. It is powered right. It is well balanced. It is roomy and comfortable. The sheet metal is bent just right. It has attractive appointments. It rides and handles well. It features a top quality, semi- permanent, ultra-modern drop-in bed-liner. Like many people, I found it a difficult vehicle to fault. However, I’ve always felt that selecting a vehicle is like choosing a spouse: Not every one works for everyone. Thus, there are going to be those who aren’t as enchanted by the Tacoma as I am. Oh, well, that’s life. Now, take the good guys at DJM Suspension in Gardena, CA, for example. They faulted the stock ’06 Tacoma, but only because they felt it is too far off the ground. The Tacoma’s standard ride height was recorded at 18 ¾ inches in front and 19-7/8 inches in the rear, both ends measured from the center of the wheel hub to the lip of the fender well. Of course, the DJM guys are in the business of designing, engineering and marketing drop kits and they tend to think that the stock suspension of every vehicle built anywhere on this earth is too high. But they didn’t just fault the ride height. They set out to do something about it. They engineered a lowering kit especially for the ’06 Tacoma that would bring the popular mid-sized pick-up down to where they and, they hope, many Tacoma owners think it should be. While lowering the new Tacoma, the engineers at DJM strove to preserve the quality of Toyota’s ride and handling. The result is the DJM 3-4 lowering kit for the ’06 Tacoma. The kit is based on specially engineered upper and lower control arms to drop the front. The rear is lowered with DJM’s heavy-duty steel four-inch lowering blocks; a C-notched frame for additional upward axle travel and carefully-sized and positioned DJM bump stops. When the engineers got into the Tacoma, they discovered a unique phenomenon. The C-notch on the driver’s side differed slightly from the C-notch on the passenger side because of the placement of the shock mounts. Nevertheless, the DJM guys created a top-notch 3-4 lowering kit that made for a more “down-to-earth” Toyota and still left the ’06 Tacoma with its quality ride and outstanding handling. Installing the new DJM drop kit for the Tacoma requires some effort. The DJM engineering staff demonstrated the installation for us on a brand-new, rich blue ’06 Tacoma extended cab.

(This kit is available at the djmfactorystore.com). Check out the photo gallery below to see how the parts went on, and click on the (  I ) in the picture to read the caption!

2006-toyota-tacoma-34-djm-kit

Measure Before we begin
The box stock Tacoma is ready to go, the first thing to do is get good height measurements. The best method is to measure from the center of the wheel to the fender well lip. Then you can monkey around with different wheel and tire combination's and not effect the accuracy of your measurements. On this Tacoma we measured 18 3/4" up front and the rear came in at 19 7/8"Lets Get Going
Using hydraulic jacks and properly rated jack stands support the front end and remove the wheelsUppers First
Remove the upper control arms first (before lowers) and loosen and remove the upper ball joint nut and mounting bracketCompare the arms
Here we have the factory upper (right) and the new DJM upper armsLets Begin the Ball Joint Removal
The rubber boots need to be removed carefully and set aside. There is a retaining clip under the boot which needs to be removed. This clip and the wire retainer for the boot need to be saved so you install into the new DJM armYou Need a Press
To remove the ball joint from the factory arm you need a hydraulic press with the proper sized dieIt's out
The ball joint pressed out. Inspect the ball joint and make sure you want to install in the new armPressing in
Use the same set up to install the factory ball joint in the new arms. If you don't have access to a H-frame hydraulic you can find a local machine shop who for a fee will take care of this step for you Assemble the Ball Joint
Carefully install the the retaining clip on the ball joint. Make sure your ball joints are clean, no dirt or grit, then grease and cover with the rubber boot securing with the wire clip Install Grease Zerks
Because the grease fittings tend to get busted off during shipping we must install them now before installing the armsLubricate
Go ahead and shoot grease into those grease fittings and get the pivot good and lubricated. Don't forget to spread grease on the shoulder of the urethane bushingsInstall Upper Arm
Position the new DJM upper arm in placeInsert Pivot Bolts
The pivot bolts are installed and hand tightenedTighten the pivots
The pivot bolts are tightened being careful not to over-tighten. If the urethane bushings look like there are squished or bulging, then they are too darn tight!Upper Ball Joint
Upper ball joint is installed and the nut tightenedInstead of a Cotter Pin
As you noticed when removing the upper ball joint Toyota uses a peculiar clip on the ball joint studs to lock the nut in place, go ahead and use it now ABS Brackets
The ABS bracket is attached to the new upper armABS
Now it is tightened to secure it to the new arm. This buttons up the upper arm installation, now lets move down to the lowerTie Rod End
Loosen and remove the the tie rod endSwaybar End-link
Loosen and remove the swaybar end-linkBall Joint
The lower ball joint is attached through a plate then the spindle. Here we are removing the mounting plateStrut
Loosen and remove the lower strut mountPivot Bolts
Loosen and remove the lower control arm pivot bolts along with the alignment adjusting boltsA Look at the arms
Here's a look at the factory arm (left) just removed and the DJM Calmax lowering armBall Joints
Like the upper arm you must remove the factory ball joint from the factory lower arm and install them into the Calmax arm. First step is to pop out the retaining clipClip
Here's the clip removedOur Old Friend the H-Frame
Remember our buddy the H-Frame hydraulic press, well we need it again. Were going to remove the ball joint from the factory arm.Installing the ball joint
Now it's time carefully press the ball joint in the Calmax armPrepping the Arms
Now the ball joints are in it's time to prep the armsGrease Zerks
Install the grease zerks in the pivot points, snug them up with a wrenchPump in the Grease!
Go ahead and pump grease into the pivots. It does two things it makes sure the grease flows and lubricates real good before installationInstall the arms
The arm is prepped, now it's time to install into the factory locationsBolts installed
Pivot bolts are installed to secure the arms in placeExtra Hand
An extra hand and a floor jack with an extension is very helpful when positioning the lower armsHelp
In fact having a friend helping can save you a lot of time and make these installs much easierTighten Up
Going through the front install and tightening fastenersPivot Bolts
Don't forget the pivot boltsFront End
Here's a close look at the front end with the upper and lower control arms installed. Tie Rod
Install the tie rod endTa Da!
Here is the front end complete with the new upper and lower arms. It's ready for the wheel The Wheel
Did we say it's time for the wheel? Well hear it isProper Support
At the risk of repeating ourselves you can't have too many jack stands, or bottle jacks!Steel Blocks
Here are the 4" Steel Lowering blocks installed with new U-bolts and nutsNeed More Travel
The factory bump stop is smack in the way of getting us more travel, sooo, an air hammer is a good friend to have in your tool box Bump Stop
Here is the factory bump stop bracket as it comes off. Don't worry the new frame supports you will install soon has a bump stop built in (like the front)!Drivers Side Problem
The gas tank is on the drivers side and setting right there in your way when you want "c-notch" the frame. What we did here was covering the exposed area of the gas tank with some scrap sheet metal so when we cut out the "notch" the gas tank is isolatedBegin C-Notch Install
Use the frame supports to locate and scribe a line to use as a guide to cut out the notch. We used a plasma cutter on this jobCutout
Here's what the cut out piece looks likeFrame
Here's what the frame looks like ready to receive the frame supportFrame Support
The frame support installed with the new urethane bump stopFront Measurement
When it's all done, aligned and driven the "after" measurement was 15 3/4" A three inch drop!Rear Measurement
The rear measurement came in at 15 7/8" a perfect four inch drop All Done
Here's the Tacoma with it's new aggressive stance. A 3/4 drop from DJM!