There are always alternatives

My truck's alternator hasn't worked in about five months. During that time, the only way I could ever use the truck was to charge up the battery, drive to work without using the heater or turn signals, drive back home at the end of the day (hopefully without having to use the wipers or lights), and when I got back home, re-charge the battery so it would be ready by the next morning.

Well, I got sick and tired of that because sometimes it DID rain and I had to use the wipers, and it WAS dark and I had to use the lights, and when I DID get back  home, that truck battery was so dead, I'd think even Jesus couldn't resurrect it.

So, seeing that I bought this truck to learn how to work on it, and seeing that I had enough money to buy a new alternator but not enough money to pay a professional to put it in, I did the only thing I could do -- I put it in myself!

Now, I must say that I have not one mechanically-minded bone in my body. In fact, the only kind of bones I DO have are lazy-bones. So, for me to have the gall to think I could perform this little bit of surgery by myself, with absolutely no help at all, was textbook stupidity. But I did it. It's in there. The bolts are all tight. The electrical things are plugged in. I think it's even facing the way it's supposed to. But I do have one itsy-bitsy problem.

I have four parts left over, and I have no idea where they go.

If this truck ever runs again, it will be a miracle!