New Alternator, right part#, wrong part

[Micmaynard]

Curious to see if anyone else has had this issue.
Last year the original alternator on my 70 Fury III, 318 w/AC, needed replacing. I went and ordered the most common reconditioned unit Ultima R111683B. It showed up and fit perfectly, direct replacement. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I noticed that one of the screws that hold the case together has backed it self out, and there were no threads left in the casting of the housing so the screw wouldn't tighten, and the case was starting to separate from the core.
I go and bring it back to O'Reilly because they have a warranty. They gladly took it back and ordered me another, exact part number as the old one.
The new one shows up and it looks different from the original, less core showing at the center (see pictures), spacing is not the same and the unit appears to be less deep than the original so the bracket with the slot needs a spacer. this probably means the pullies don't line up, but I didn't get that far.
I brought that one back to the store and exchanged it for the Ultima R111599B. The part number is different, but the alternator is the same in the box. Go back and return that one, order a Wilson 90-03-2027, you guessed it, exactly the same unit in the box.
The pix from the website show different alternators, but the same model keeps showing up. This is incredibly frustrating, and the guys at O'Reilly are just as perplexed, spent 20 minutes with me looking through the computer at different options.

Any thoughts?

 

[Big_John]

It's cheaper and easier for them to sell you an offshore sourced, brand-new alternator rather than rebuild old cores.

Do you still have the original? They are often pretty simple to repair, depending on the problem.

 

[Mopars & Missiles]

You didn't mention the 2-groove pulley versus the replacement units single groove, that is a BIG issue too. But yeah, these aftermarket parts company's idea of the correct part is just that its "functional" not that its a dimensionally and visually correct replacement part. They don't care about retaining originality of a classic car whatsoever, just sell the cheapest part that they can.

My suggestion would be to NEVER give up your car's ORIGINAL parts as a core to these aftermarket outfits, just purchase outright if you have to have their part. That way you always have the recourse of figuring out a way to repair your original part in the future. But it sounds as if that's not an option now in this particular case? Anyway, good luck with resolving this issue.

 

[Mopars & Missiles]

It's cheaper and easier for them to sell you an offshore sourced, brand-new alternator rather than rebuild old cores.

Do you still have the original? They are often pretty simple to repair, depending on the problem.

Big John, you beat me by mere seconds!

 

[Micmaynard]

The AC system was a complete mess so I removed it so really didn't need the dual pulley.
Of course, I didn't keep the original, regrets...
I may have to blow real money and buy an actual new one.