I snuck mine through the wheel well...seemed to be the easiest way rather than fighting the hoses and such.
toyo - I don't see how it could be done in an hour on the V8 without damaging things. Also, thank you for the A/C diagnosis documents you put up in my thread. I have not made time to dive into it but am looking forward to posting the results soon.
EDIT: Alternator thread with pics below
Replacing alternator - 2005 V8