I've just been through 3 hoses because of it. Can i run a vortec hose on an earlier 4.3?

 

Are your motor mounts ok? The only time that I sliced a hose on my 89 S15 Jimmy is when I had a bad motor mount. I have owned since it was new and have about 415K on the odometer.

 

Yeah Im going with the motor mounts there. Ive done the same thing on vehicles past. Grab a good hold of that motor when its turned off and see how much you can rock is side to side in the engine bay. Or turn it on and have someone else hold the brake hard while giving her some RPMS while you watch and see how much it shifts. It should barely move at all if the mounts are in good shape.

You could also try trimming an inch or two off the end that connects to your radiator and that will give it more clearance from the alternator blades.