[HO455]

The old charging system was definitely bad. Pulled the WMB around the block and when I popped the hood the smell of hot battery hit me. Whew! It had gone from not charging to over charging. After disconnecting the battery I went to pull the alternator and discovered it was blistering hot. I got lucky noticing the voltage after the starter swap, otherwise I'm sure I would have been stranded somewhere.
Once things had cooled down I pulled the old alternator and compared it to the new SC130 I got to replace the stock system. ( The alternator I got is for a 1988 Oldsmobile Firenza with A/C. Listed as 100 amps. Non A/C ones are 78 amps but were more expensive. Going with this old of a listing meant it was a two bolt mount instead of the 3 bolt later styles). I found that they were comparable and nothing looked to be an issue bolting the new alternator to the factory brackets. The new SC style only has three bolt holding the back of the case on. This means there are only 3 positions to clock the back. I could not see any problems with the clocking of the alternator I ordered so I left it alone.
The SC style alternators come with a ribbed belt for a serpentine set up. Using an impact wrench and a good glove to hold the cooling fan I was able to buzz both pulley nuts off easily. A check with a ruler and caliper showed that there was no difference in how the fans are stamped in relation to how the pulley made contact. (I didn't want to distort the new fan tightening the nut on the old V-belt pulley). After installing the old pulley on the new alternator I installed it on the engine. There is not very much adjustment range due to the body of the alternator hitting the aftermarket valve cover. (Last photo) This was no different from the factory alternator.
The only slightly annoying part of the mechanical installation is the top bolt (tension bolt) on the alternator is threaded metric. I believe it is 8 mm x 1.25.
That wraps up the mechanical side. Now on to the electrical side, which was not nearly as straight forward and thus required several trips to the parts store.