I think the whole 70's neck stability thing is blown way out of proportion.
I have known and still know people who play them with no problems.

A 3 bolt is my main guitar, then again I never dropped it or seldom bang the headstock.

The problems almost invariably arise due to the people them selves causing them. I am 100% convinced that my friend caused his by adjusting the micro tilt thing while the bolts on his neck were still tightened down.

people misunderstand the function on that almost as mush as they misunderstand the function of the trussrod. These devices are there to help your wooden parts hold their position, or shape. they are not designed to force them into shape. trussrod adjustments are only good for minor changes in bow. if you have serious issues with the bow of your neck, the rod should be loosened, and the neck clamped/pressed into the desired bow, and the the rod adjusted so it helps hold the neck in shape.

Likewise the neck should be fitted and angled in place with the bolts loose. the micro adjustment should be set like that, the the bolts tightened. if you try adjusting the micro tilt with the neck bolted down, you shouldn't be surprised if you damage the bolt holes, or the micro tilt, or the neck itself or all 3.

also on martians train of thought: Personally on my list of concerns resale value ranks pretty low. For me playability is the number one concern, so for me his solution would be my choice. it is both functional, and elegant.

_________________
I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

It's two fold: The screw holes are somewhat stretched but usually not to the point where they are stripped, thanks to the lower bolt which screws into a metal disk, implanted in the neck joint.

The real damage being done is from the slightly smaller neck base, slogging around in the body's slightly larger neck joint. This looseness allows the neck base in a pendulum type movement to crush into the the extremities of the neck joint itself, thus expanding these perimeters even further. You can see here too, how the tilt neck screw, resting on the aforementioned metal disk adds to this problem in the sense that it facilitates the loosely fitting neck to wobble from side to side.

_________________
You dig?

So, we might say the micro tilt, a good idea but eventually leads to neck issues. Smaller neck into a bigger pocket sounds like a factory issue, unless the neck shrunk over the years. Typical CBS quality check, although I have been lucky with mine. I guess it's do your own QC check before buying...

My neck on my Strat has been good for 36 years. The Tilt Neck Micro Adjustment does not hurt a thing if used properly. Where does the whole vision of guitar necks flopping around like rubber come from anyway? Mine never slid around or became unstable or a pendulum. Once in a while it needs a minor truss rod adjustment, but that's it. If it was that horrible, I would have dumped it in a couple weeks in 1972. Am I the only person with a good 70's Strat? I don't think so.

A lot of people dive into adjusting things without doing any research or reading the instructions and do the damage themselves. I'll tell you what, The Fender QC department should get on the stick. Many of the guitars I've tried lately had many serious quality issues from hardware, assembly, setup and finish. With the price increase, craftsmanship and value should be a top priory.
I have banged my headstock countless times and banged my guitar around, I have the battle scars to prove it. I play it, I've spent little time polishing it. It's my work horse.