Ties dont have to be so fancy as what aftermarket offers. They're over engineered in my opinion. A few pieces of about 1 inch wide flat bar will serve the purpose and not as likely to collect gravel.
The point of the aftermarket plates is to box the control arm. A few ties does not accomplish that. The more surface area that the boxing plate has the better the control arm will resist twisting.
A few ties are better than nothing, and they’ll help keep then sides of the LCA from spreading apart. But they’re won’t be as effective at boxing the LCA which means you won’t get the same torsional strength.
