DC10 RECEIVES VECTOR TO ILS FINAL THAT DOES NOT INTERCEPT COURSE IN TIME TO LAND.

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ARRS WERE LNDG TO THE E. VISUALS WERE BEING CONDUCTED TO RWY 6R. ONCE RADAR CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED; WE WERE CLRED DIRECT LAX; PLT'S DISCRETION; TO 6000 FT. AS WE DSNDED THROUGH 7000 FT; WE TOLD SOCAL APCH WE WERE IMC AND ASKED FOR LOWER. THE CTLR INSTRUCTED US TO TURN L 10 DEGS (050 DEG HDG); INTERCEPT THE RWY 6R LOC; DSND AND MAINTAIN 4000 FT. THE CAPT (PNF) WAS MONITORING THE VOR. THE CDI SHOWED US 8-10 DEGS S OF COURSE AND CORRECTING SLOWLY. AS WE APCHED 4000 FT; WE REQUESTED LOWER AGAIN. APCH CLRED US TO INTERCEPT THE RWY 6R LOC AT OR ABOVE 2000 FT; CLRED FOR THE ILS RWY 6R APCH. AS WE DSNDED THROUGH 3000 FT; WE STILL HAD NOT INTERCEPTED THE RWY 6R LOC. I MADE A 20 DEG CORRECTION TO THE L (030 DEGS). THE CAPT CONCURRED. AS WE LEVELED OFF AT 2000 FT; WE BROKE OUT OF THE FOG BANK. WE WERE LINED UP WITH THE S COMPLEX (RWY 7L/R);2 MI S OF THE RWY 6R FINAL! WE CALLED RWY IN SIGHT AND VISUALLY SIDESTEPPED TO AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AND ROLLOUT. BEFORE SWITCHING TO TWR; WE INFORMED THE APCH CTLR AS TO OUR DISPLEASURE WITH HIS VECTOR TO FINAL. HIS RESPONSE 'ROGER.' IF WE HADN'T BEEN THE ONLY ACFT IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA; THE RESULTS COULD HAVE FAR LESS FAVORABLE. SOCAL APCH SHOULD KNOW THAT VFR AT LAX DOESN'T MEAN VFR OVER WATER -- ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. WHY OUR FLT PATH WASN'T BEING MONITORED MORE CLOSELY I DON'T KNOW. MAYBE THE CTLR CONFUSED RWY 7L (S COMPLEX) WITH RWY 6R (N COMPLEX). RWY 7L DID HAVE RWY AND APCH LIGHTS ON. IT APPARENTLY WAS OPEN. THANK GOODNESS I FLY INTO LAX OFTEN AND KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR AT NIGHT. A LESS EXPERIENCED CREW MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN SO FORTUNATE. FROM NOW ON I WILL INSIST THAT THE VECTOR PROVIDE ALLOWS COURSE INTERCEPT AT LEAST 8 MI OUT. I WILL THEN QUERY THE CTLR. IF STILL UNCOMFORTABLE; I WILL GO AROUND. 'IF IT DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT; GO AROUND AND SORT IT OUT.'