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I'm bummed on AC work. I've been a mechanic for nearly 30 years and I'm not afraid to tackle anything, but AC is always something I've left to the pros. Not that I won't change compressors and all sorts of related stuff, trouble shoot electrical etc, but charging...expensive and technical. I do some restoration on 240's and recently decided to bite the bullet and go for it. Bought guages, manifold and all the good stuff. Invested in a case of R12A. My attempts to charge my 83 with York compressor met with general failure. On the other hand I charged my 90 with the rotary compressor and it seems to be okay. Takes a lot of patience, read everything you can find and get some help the first time around. No question that R134 conversion is a lot of work, with all those o-rings to change and such. Also no question in my mind that it does not cool as well as R12 (which is disputed highly, but my opinion is as noted). One more thing, one of the plants making R134 is closed last I heard (two days ago) and the price of R134 which was so cheap has just doubled. Most larger shops had supplies on hand. Used to be the R12 was so expensive you could convert to R134 and re-charge for less than just re-charging with R12. That is no longer so from the prices I got last night. Lots to weigh. If you are not a die-hard DIY type, I would recommend taking it in and having it done with R12. If you are enviro-conscious, go R134, price difference is no longer the deciding factor.
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