if you buy from advance always go online and get a coupon code... trt30 is usually good for 30% off ... congrats on getting it done... easier to remove the wires after you take the alt off sometimes... but I think the dealers still quote $1600 for this job so at 7hr you made $200 an hour... not badI guess I never posted up my alternator R&R experience. Penny is a 2000 100. It took me about 7 hours in a very, very hot apartment basement with frequent breaks.
I ordered two lifetime warranty alternators from Advance Autoparts. I was right to do this because one did not have the correct mounting holes and one had a buggered pulley. I had also gotten a nut from Beno at some point for some reason so I swapped the pulleys.
I did not have to do anything with the radiator. I took one bolt off that secured the P clamp that held the metal transmission cooling lines up front. It was a bugger to get the plug off the old alternator and get the alternator out from the bottom but it came out. I did damage the plug a bit but it is on and holds fine. I added considerable dialectic grease on reinstall. I removed the front right wheel to allow access to the alternator through the wheel well and took the PS pump loose to allow the alternator to slide off the upper mounting bolt.
It sucked under my conditions but I am now convinced I could do this on the road if I had too.
BTW. Before going with Advance Auto Parts junk I priced SBC High Output Alternators. Running a dual battery set up and a bunch of accessories it seemed like a good idea but after speaking with some folks more knowledgeable than myself, it was clear I could not justify the expense for something like that. Especially when the Advance one has a lifetime warranty. As my alternator has been submerged in water plenty, I would not want to ruin an expensive SBC that way.
For everyone's info the the SBC 100 series alternators price like this:
SBC-T4.7-250XP is $850
SBC-T4.7-270XP is $875
As you can see there is only a $25 difference between the two models and you get an extra 20 amps at driving speed and an extra 10 amps at idle.
Probably well worth it for some but not me. I do not have a welder on board.
My Advance was like $150.