DJM Lowering Parts Questions

[kevinr1970]

Before I go and fly off the handle while on the phone, can someone please answer some questions for me.

I bought a DJM 2"/4" kit for my 2006 GMC 1/2 ton and went over to me girlfriends parents house (~250 miles away) to install this past weekend - her dad has lowered every car he ever owned, has a two-post lift, every tool you could ever need, etc. It was his birthday gift to me and I very much appreciate all his help!
<RANT>
So we do the front first - 2" drop control arms.
Everything seems to be going going fine until we go to mount the shocks. The kit said to re-use your stock shocks so we did.
The threaded holes in the control arms to mount shocks were pretty far off from the shocks. We had to take a dremel-like tool and hog the holes out in the shocks quite a bit to get them to work. Once we got them open enough to clear the bolts, both bolts went in at an angle. If straight is 90dgrees, then they were going in at around 80-85degrees. The holes were pre-drilled and tapped and they weren't going sideways because of stress from the shocks, they went in at an angle before we tried to mount the shocks.
Once we got the bolts figured out, the shock bushings wouldn't clear the notch in the frame. We had to take a razor knife and cut away the bushing all the way to the steel of the shock eyelet.

We go to do the the rear - 2" shackle, 2" hangar.
We have to take the dremel-esque tool and hog out the holes in the hangars (both) to clear the bolt (they supplied) to mount the front of the spring.
Ditto on the shackles. There are two sets of holes so you can adjust the height of the spring in the back so we did both sets.
Does this seem like normal things to have to do?
</RANT>


The amusing stuff:
This is a lot of work and a lot more than my GF's dad signed up for.
We had to drop the 1/2-full tank of gas (which the instructions said would have to be done but my GF's dad says he's never actually had to do?). As he was buring off the rivets on the hangars with an acetalyne torch, the rubberized under-coating kept catching on fire. Next to the plastic gas tank!?!
The reciever hitch was in the way of removing the rear spring/shackle bolts which made us have to remove it. But the exhaust kit I installed about a month ago was in the way so we had to drop the spare tire to get the reciever off. Neither off us had ever removed a spare from a newer vehicle like this so it it took us a few minutes to figure out how the jack handle made the wheel come down. But that was after getting the handle from behind the seat. Which was about 8 feet in the air. And the door could only be opened about 8" because of the post. So I had to reach in and pop the rear slider latch. But to get in the slider, I had to stand in the bed. So I had to remove the toneau cover while standing with one foot on the top step of a step ladder (a no-no) and one foot precariously standing on a rain dampened 3" wide lifting arm for the lift.
Pictures are in my GF's camera so I will post alter.