A.O. Smith was the original vendor to supply Chrysler with the lower control arms, after the arms were constructed, they were place on a overhead conveyor hook line that then took them into a large Cosmoline tank, the LCA's were suspended by the ball joint socket casting hole in the LCA, Chryslers specs were not to sumbmerge the part completely, as wax in the ball joint socket prevented proper speedy assembly on the line, plus the line worker had ZERO time to clean out the socket, the Cosmoline dip line will vary as the level in the tanks at A.O Smith would vary daily due to the consumption/volume of product traveling thru them, when production quotas were met, the remaining stock of LCA's were them completely submerged in a tank of black paint wash to completely seal the part from rusting, these black LCA's were intended for dealer/service stock as shelf life would/could be a matter of years, and as a service replacement the installer had the time to remove any paint from a ball joint socket, or any other assembly end of the LCA,...there could be the chance some may have made it to the assy line because of a vendor shortage?, a misdirected order? any host of reasons.

Mike