First, Mr. Pete, sir, I hope you feel well vented. I'm presently slogging through a job that holds the distinction - for me - of most trips to the parts store for a single job. It was just going to be front calipers and rear shoes. I started, (and stopped) counting at around six or eight. Some my fault, some not. (I went through five Ozark calipers before I got two good ones.)
Anyway, I've been a silent participant and big fan of the BITOG forum for many years, and you, Mr. Pete, along with many of the members here, have made me laugh and helped me learn, and this thread you started share some misery has been a fun and enlightening read, and struck me as a great atmosphere to share a question that has been left on my back steps. So thanks for all of that.
If we only had OEM parts available, we would all be driving much newer cars because the old ones would be unfixable and crushed.
If you ever have to buy a part that is only available OEM you pay through the nose - like $2500 Ford F150 tail lights. Aftermarket supply keeps OEM prices honest.
100% true. "The Only Game in Town" always seems to enjoy the heck out of their advantage, and as an avowed skinflint, that makes me fume. So hooray for competition and be sure to sniff for chincy knock offs.
And also: Yes! Even
more 100% true. I am not just a tightwad. I can also be a very fussy, particular fellow, and when I find something that suits me, I don't care to waste my time / energy / money testing endless alternatives just so I can describe why they aren't as good. So my favorite vehicles are the ones that have proven their timeless greatness, and are out of production. It is like living in a dream world whenever I can find what I need to keep using my old gem of a car, garden tractor, drill press or food processor, and not have to go sift through mountains of newly minted trash to look for something that's serviceable.
Rock Auto has the Motorcraft control arms for under $200 each. If you don't want to spend that much, the Delphi control arms are probably better than Mevotech and will actually fit. Delphi is an OE supplier.
Thank you for mentioning this, slacktide. You've given me the perfect segue. My 300,000 mile-young Savanna needed (well, still needs, actually), shocks, bushings, ball joints, a sway bar that isn't a two-piece, you know. Well while I was pressing bjs and bushings in and out my original lcas started to look older, and new Delphis started to look more cost effective. But now I find myself in a spot where I don't have the experience to know whether I'm looking at unacceptably sloppy manufacturing, or parts that are within tolerance and will come into place once installed.
Right away I see that the bushings have not been pressed in fully [Maybe they don't have to be. Maybe what matters is the bushings' spacing, not their insertion depth. I mean, of course they've gotta be all the win. I'd have to be crazy to think otherwise. But who's done more of these, me or Delphi?], or squarely. I can push them in, but I don't think they'll end up square.
Here you notice that the... collar? of arm-steel that surrounds the sleeves where they penetrate is inconsistent. In two spots, including center frame here, there is no shoulder. The bushings were not centered on the holes they were jammed through. [But maybe that doesn't matter. What do I know?]
And did I mention that some of the finish work seems kind of rough? Where the pivot end of the arm transitions to the rolled edge body is cut pretty square, and not in a good way. That looks like a stress fracture waiting to happen. [What am I? A metallurgist? This thing might be coasting along at 10% of its fatigue strength.]
And did I mention that when I bore-sight these things, none of the inner sleeves are bullseyed at their counterparts. I'm not even sure I could rack an arm hard enough to get a bolt through both its mounting holes. [But I'm also not sure I couldn't. Maybe mounting the arm is what lines things up. The overall distance between the bushings is about right. Maybe better than it would be if I seeated the bushings the rest of the way in - which I obviously must do. But what do I know, really?]
Alright, I'm out of time now. I'd love to proofread and revise and give you all the most clear and polished post possible, but instead I've gotta make like an aftermarket supplier and just call it good.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can point out what a fool I've been.
, a quick job turned into a hassle. 
