NMAC BTWN A CESSNA 172 ON IFR VECTORS TO THE ILS IN VMC AND A VFR AERO COMMANDER IN CLR SKY CONDITIONS. THE C172 TOOK EVASIVE ACTION BY MAKING A CLBING R TURN.

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I WAS APPROX 4 MI S OF LGB; HEADING APPROX 187 DEGS; BEING VECTORED TOWARD THE ILS FOR TOA AND WAS STILL AT 4000 FT MSL; NOT YET GIVEN A DSCNT. WHILE SCANNING FOR TFC; I SAW BTWN MY R WINGTIP AND THE NOSE AND SLIGHTLY LOW A DARK OBJECT (SEMI-SILHOUETTE SINCE THE SUN WAS TO MY R AND SOMEWHAT HIGH -- W) AT A DISTANCE. CHKED MY PANEL AND LOOKED AGAIN AND SAW THE SAME OBJECT LARGER AND IN SAME RELATIVE POS; THEREFORE COMING AT ME. I TOOK EVASIVE ACTION -- A CLBING R TURN. ATC DID POINT OUT THE TFC BUT I CANNOT RECALL WHETHER IT WAS BEFORE OR AFTER MY EVASIVE ACTION. I CAN SAY FOR SURE THAT I GOT INSUFFICIENT NOTICE FROM ATC (IF IT WAS BEFORE I LOOKED FOR THE TFC; I AM SURE THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN PERHAPS 5 SECONDS BEFORE MY SEEING IT). THE ACFT PASSED IMMEDIATELY BENEATH ME. WHILE CLBING I LOOKED OUT MY L WINDOW AND SAW THAT PASSAGE HAPPEN. IT WAS VERY CLOSE. IF I HAD NOT CLBED I BELIEVE I WOULD HAVE HAD A COLLISION WITH THE TWIN. I HAD MADE A STATEMENT TO ATC THAT I THOUGHT THAT AIRPLANE GOT VERY CLOSE. A FEW SECONDS LATER; WHILE BEING VECTORED FURTHER TOWARD THE ILS; ATC LET ME KNOW THAT THE ACFT WAS AN AERO COMMANDER. (I SAID I'D CALL SOMEONE LATER -- I DIDN'T WANT TO DEAL WITH DETAIL WHILE INTERCEPTING THEN TRACKING AN ILS.) THE CTLR'S ATTITUDE WAS PROFESSIONAL AND INFORMATIVE. NO PROB THERE. BUT HAVING THE EXTRA SVCS (I SAY 'EXTRA' BECAUSE I KNOW THE REGS DID NOT REQUIRE POINT-OUT OF NON-IFR TFC; AND THAT I AM REQUIRED TO SEE-AND-AVOID IN VMC); ESPECIALLY IF IT HAD BEEN LONG BEFORE I GOT THE POINTOUT; COULD HAVE BEEN LIFE-SAVING.