i know this is an old thread but i like to look back and its not just you i do to for some reason

I swapped my original alternator with one from a Buick, and the alternator was a bit different in a couple of dimensions. First, the diameter of the housing itself was larger, making for a struggle to get it nestled into the same spot. All the 'hard' parts (brackets, engine, etc) allowed its mounting, but there was a hose and some cables running under it that needed a bit of 'adjustment' to allow the larger Buick alternator to nestle in. Then, I found out that the battery stud on the Buick alternator was actually larger than that on the original, so I had to enlarge the hole in the battery ring terminal. That done, everything else went fine.

So, it was a bit more frustrating than the average alternator swap, but the power production has been good!