alternator bolt

[Guitarheroal]

Hello all,

I was trying to remove my alternator to replace the water pump on my 04 vibe GT. I took off 2 of the side bolts but there was one more bolt on top and the head just started stripping and was impossible to get off. Eventually i gave up and tried to put everything back together. Now the lower side bolt isnt lining up so the thread isnt catching. I tried moving the alternator in different directions (altho it really wasnt budging) while my buddy tried to thread the bolt in, but we had no luck. Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts/ideas/or advice?

Last resort is to have the car towed to a shop and have them do everything.

Thanks for reading.

[M1MECHANIC]

I am sure this is to late but the bracket for the altenator is in such a way that even with all the bolts loose its a pain to get all three back in. Its off by just 1or 2 mm but enough to make it a real pain. Think this is because its a Toyota mount but putting a AC Delco alt. in it. If i have to relace mine again will go with Toyota version and hope it will line up better. Took me about 15 min to get all the bolts threaded. I have been a mechanic in the military for 10 yrs and never ran into this much trouble changing an alt out.