I am going to have to do this myself as my wife needs to get back to work and the mechanic is so backed up with work he can't get to me for at least another week. That's tomorrow's project.

Couple of things I found out.

1. A Bosch reman alternator costs over $400. One shop wanted to charge me a grand for one. Screw that. A Duralast reman alternator costs half that, comes with a lifetime warranty and also comes with the alternator-side pulley. No need to take out the old one, and no need to buy the special tools for that.
2. The dowel pins can be pushed into the engine block with a 10mm bolt of the correct length. That's the size of the hole, and since the dowel goes in the hole, that reduced the diameter and a bolt will push them in without going past them, as long as you don't try to force the issue, and use a rubber mallet.
3. NAPA auto parts carries the intake manifold gasket rings, $5.29 each before any discounts. They had them in stock nearby.

 

When my local independent shop replaced my alternator about 4 years ago, they sold me a reman Bosch for $400 with a 24-mo part warranty. It's been working fine.

Duralast alternators have a poor reputation. If you're doing the work yourself, the cost savings may be worth the risk if you're handling any future warranty replacements, as well.

It's a hefty job, but at least there are a couple good Youtube videos for reference. Good luck!

 

I checked reviews and Duralast is no different than other brands. They can last 60,000 to over 200k miles. But one comment I found made sense, to get the new one tested at the store before installing it. Would be a pity if i got a bad one out of sheer back luck and didn't find out until I had done all the work. I'll go have it tested at the store tomorrow morning. Thx.