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So I replaced every component of the front suspension recently with stock parts. My lower ball joints stick up pretty high through the spindle and the castle nuts aren't quite tall enough to reach the hole for the cotter pin. What would cause that? I compared the old stock parts to the replacement parts and couldn't see any differences. The new LCAs came with these little plastic covers over them. Should I have installed them with the covers in place? I thought they were just thread protectors for shipment. Where am I screwing this up? I'm just about to the point of sticking some washers under the tallest castle nut I can find, just to get a cotter pin installed. Spindles checked out fine.
Those covers are exactly what you figured they were, protection for the threads and boot until the component is installed. They come off before you actually install the control arm. I don't know which brand of lower control arm you bought, but, some manufacturers have the hole for the cotter pin a little bit higher to allow room for a lock washer between the nut and the spindle. Ford didn't use any lock washers on the suspension stuff like that. 
