I looked at the part diagram on Ford Parts today and it appears the lower pad I'm talking about comes as part of the shock assembly, so even if it would work, it isn't sold separately.
I talked to Ford Hotline today and expressed my displeasure with this problem. That and $1 will get me coffee at McDonalds. She was real sorry about my situation and wondered if I took it to the dealership to have the problem evaluated. (!) Hmmmm.... there's an idea! And the labor rate to look at it is only $120/hr. :R
I told her here in PA we are mandated to yearly inspections and my mechanic would have caught anything serious in the last 7 years. That and two sets of perfectly evenly worn tires with 50,000 miles on them prove there isn't anything wrong with the front end.
The spring just broke! And so did my buddy's! It's that simple. I filed a complaint with NHTSA too, but we're back to the coffee thing there. *sigh*
As freak occurances go, this one is pretty freaky.