AAL install looks very wrong!

Yes I left them.

 

The rub here is that some other owners may not catch the mistakes, and end up with seriously damaged vehicles and/or bodily injury due to bad installs. I would be all for publicly posting the name when the work is this horrible.

 

I checked and they are to inside, however they have been moved back and there is 3/4" space between the bolt and the tank. No sign of rubbing.

 

Someone has no understanding of metallurgy lol.

 

This is why I try to do as much work on my own. I would at least name the shop so others can avoid having this happen to them. This is basic shit they are installing.

 

As soon as they are unbolted from the metal they pressed against, they'll go back to their original shape.

Just like when the weight of a vehicle is lifted off a leaf spring it goes back to its original shape

What am i missing?

 

A leaf spring is a spring. The metal is heated, Hardened, Cambered (Shaped), Quenched and then tempered. Bending it flat or in the other direction will alter the characteristics of the metal. While it may not be a big deal in this situation it could have adverse effects and not perform as designed. Go stretch a metal slinky even slightly and see if returns to the exact spec it was before. Leaf spring will not have as noticeable effects as the slinky but there sure can be changes.

 

But we drive around on flat leafs all the time. For some reason they return to their original shape as soon as the weight is lifted off them.

Leafs can support a truck for years before losing their tension and sagging. I don't think flattening a AAL pack for a couple days is going to turn it into a wet noodle

 

They still retain a natural curvature. Not being forced to lay flat like OP's. I am sure you are correct and this would not create any issues but still shitty what the shop did. I would want a new AAL out of principal. If issues arose later down the road good luck proving it.

 

Here's a how not to guide for 5100s if you want, too!

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/results-of-not-reading-bilstein-5100-instructions.679031/

 

Yikes. I'm looking for a local DFW shop to do my install right now. Not encouraging.

 

Question is, are the main leafs on the proper side of the truck, as the leafs themselves from the factory are side specific.

 

until you yield them, the springs will be fine.
while it's basically impossible to tell from some pictures if they were plastically deformed or not, I would be surprised if there is any permanent damage to any of the leafs from what happened here.

 

You may still want to flip that bolt around so that the nut if facing outboard.

 

That 3/4" can close up with the suspension fully articulated. Just keep an eye on it after going over speed bumps or off-road.

 

Thanks for the heads up!