Update: The New Alternator, Part 1

I picked up an alternator for a pretty good price, after calling around. Spent about three hours removing the old unit & replacing it with new/shiny/better. This, of course, required removing the air breather & duct assembly, the oxygen sensor, the upper radiator hose, a wiring harness routing five unidentified wires, a throttle cable, and a palm-shaped gizmo that supports the radiator hose.

Got the unit in place, pried it into location with a tire iron & replaced the bolts; started putting pieces back in reverse order from above ... and can't get the belt back on the pulley. This is not my first rodeo - more on that farther down - and I know generally how to do this.

After climbing a stepladder - srsly - to lean farther over the radiator (I'm just shy of 6'2" ... I haven't needed a stool to reach anything in a very long time), I finally located the tension arm/pulley assembly for creating slack in the serpentine belt.

By this time, it was already noon, and I decided I'd had enough for that session. Cleaned up, changed clothes, and toodled back to work. I'll work on the belt tonight.

Ya know, I was a pretty fair shade-tree mechanic, back in the day. I've replaced everything on a '67 Ford truck except for the engine block. Rebuilt axles, replaced u-joints, adjusted clutches, replaced leaf & coil spring suspensions. I've replaced alternators, pumps, starters, and just about every other component there is ... rebuilt carburetors, you name it.

Now I remember why I stopped working on the blankety-blank cars. The manufacturers don't want you to, and they've dang near made it impossible. I have very little skin left on my knuckles & forearms this afternoon, as a result of squeezing adult-sized arms through spaces made too small and too crooked to allow such passage.

Update: ... and after I go buy a 1/2" to 3/4" adapter so I can use a socket wrench as a breaker bar, to move the spring-loaded tension arm. {sigh} It's always something.

The heck with it. I'll get the belt back on, but I'm done. Give me a '67 Bronco, and I'm good.

New car? Not so much.