So that my first post is not a question, I provided my pearls of wisdom below.

Now that Carl is capable of producing electricity, I'm finding that the brake light/horn fuse is blowing. This is not a new problem after converting to an alternator, so I'll rule that theory out.

It's the obnoxious intermittent type of electrical problem that cannot be recreated by any amount of testing and will only occur after some completely random sequence of events unbeknownst to me. Usually after "I think it's fine now, seems to be working, let's go get lunch".

Everything looks good in the trunk and on the fuse box. Disconnected the horn (need new steering wheel foam anyways) to be sure it's the brakes. Still popping.
One thing I'm concerned about is that my local auto parts store only has 7.5 amp fuses (I installed an ATO holder) and it's an 8 amp circuit. Maybe?

Is there a particularly prone spot on these beasts? It's a full-blow, so I must be shorting somewhere. Can the pressure switch short out? I would think if that failed, that the lights would either be stuck on or stuck off.

Thanks in advance, and thanks for all the answers provided to my other problems via the search bar.