The 3015 strut is the correct front replacement for a stock (non coilover) suspension setup.

Are the springs seated in the perches correctly?  Any other issues you ran into when you re-assembled?

I looks like something is binding & keeping the suspension hung up from settling to the correct height.

Yes, this is a stock, non-coil over, setup.  My intent was to replace the 48 year old strut with something from today.  Direct replacement.  I'll have to recheck the springs but I'm pretty sure they were against the bump in the upper and lower cups.  But if it's the springs, I'd have to have screwed up the same on both sides as it seems to be level.  Nothing obvious, it may be a little while before I get to tear back into it as I've got another car I have to get prepped for a trip in July. 

I have Illumina 3015's & BZ 3016's on my car with the Tokico lowering springs all around, and it sits low and level. I don't see why the stock springs would push it up so much.

Just out of curiosity where did you find the last two BZ3015's? I had wanted to have a replacement set but can't find them at all.

 

Any chance of removing the wheel and taking another picture of your completed/ installed strut assembly?  I know you posted one before but it's kinda shaky a little. That would help us inspect for any obvious stuff.

You could loosen the bushings bolts on the front control arms and see if it will settle some and then retorque them.

What is going on with this ball joint? Is this before you finished assembly?

It does not look seated yet.

On 4/10/2019 at 6:22 AM, BDJeff said:

But OK, so what's going on here?

When you tighten the control arm (AKA transverse link) bolts the inner sleeve of the rubber bushings gets locked.  Then when you drop the car the bushing is twisted and holds the car up.  You're supposed to have the weight of the car, and two people (nobody does this part), inside before you tighten the bolts.

I've thought of this before, but don't think the bushings would take it for long, but a person could "artificially" lower their car, by overloading it then tightening the bolts, if they have stock Nissan rubber.

Thanks for all the suggestion guys.  I sent the other car on it's way and now am back on this.

I jacked up the lower control arm to the point the car just started to lift off the jack stands then tightened the control arm bolts.  This should be pretty close to tightening them with the car sitting on the ground (minus the two people).  I took it around the block again this morning and the wheels are still pointed in at the bottom.  I'll take it apart tonight and post some more, better pictures tomorrow.

OK, here's how I set the suspension when I tighten the lower control arm bolt.  Minus the two people sitting in the seats.  You can see the gap between the jack stand and the sub-frame.

 

Edited June 6, 20195 yr by BDJeff

Here are some pictures of the suspension as it sits now.  See anything amiss?  It looks like the springs are all the way in position in their cups.  Also, the upper bearing is set with the fixed or cup side up and the rotating part of the bearing down against the doughnut?

 

Your front end looks very high, like you have high rate springs on the front struts.  The wheels will pull in at the bottom as the body and wheels get farther apart.  You might be describing the secondary effect of the car not settling at all, due to some other problem.  Any chance you got your springs mixed up front to back?

Take a picture from the side and post it.

I see two things potentially wrong... First is that the floor jack appears like it could be pushing inward on the rotor and helping limit the natural outward movement of the hub as the suspension tries to move upward. Might be better to rotate the floor jack ninety degrees so the little wheels on it will allow it to move easier inward and outward with respect to the center of the car.

The second thing? I can't see the right side front wheel but I suspect it's hanging free? If that's the case, then your sway bar (roll bar, anti-sway bar, etc) is fighting you. Just like it's supposed to do. In operation, the sway bar tries to keep the levels of the two front wheels the same. So if you've got one hanging and the other being pushed up by a jack, you're twisting the torsion spring that is your sway bar.

You might try temporarily disconnecting the sway bar. Or better yet... Just lower both front tires onto a pair of roller bottom moving dollies. That will allow them to squirm to their proper position and then tighten up the transverse link bushing bolts while the suspension is loaded.