900s Alternator Blues

I'm at my wits end. 1988 900s 16v, all I wanted to do was replace a failing alternator. The manual says remove the wires, loosen the bolts, remove the belts and pull the thing out. Yeah, sure. To begin with, the belt for the alternator and the water pump are located closer to the engine than another belt lower on the engine. There is no way to remove the two I need to replace without taking that other one off too. How? Why? Next, the bolts holding the alternator in place are located in such a way that one cannot get a wrench or socket on them and still be able to turn it. Plus, the heater hoses have to be removed, A/C hoses, and the accelerator cable has to be removed just to make enough room to lift the alternator out once it's been loosened, (only by heaving on it with a wrecking bar, by the way !) Very poorly designed in my opinion. Was there an easier way to have done this, and is there any easier way to put the new one in? I had hoped to finish tonight, but my temper was pretty much overheated by dark, so I'm leaving putting the new one in until tomorrow. With any luck, I won't feel compelled to throw my tools through the windshield. James F. Hodgdon Jr. Hodgdon Scale Models