Okay, I went to NAPA after work to purchase a replacement alternator. Instead of just going through with the purchase, I decided to ask the counter guy what he thought about my situation of burning up a bunch of alternators in a very short period.
First, he said I definitely have a wiring problem. The store was pretty busy so I just ask him what I should be checking. He said to check all my ground connections from the battery to the alternator, engine, fenders, etc. I figured I'd be better off checking these first so I passed up the purchase. By the way, the hot lead from the alternator to the battery is fine.
Anyways, I found that the ground wire coming off the alternator housing to the metal fender had no continuity (bad). Great.
Okay, this being my question. Why would it matter that I have good ground from the alternator housing to the block. The block which has good connection to the battery. The battery having good connection to the opposite fender, this is not the fender the alternator is grounded to. Why would this be a problem not having a the short ground lead to the nearest body panel? Distance? Maybe too long a travel for a good connection? Too much resistance maybe?
The guy said that a bad ground would definitely cause my alternator to stress and overheat. Thanks all.