They haven't made r12 since 98 whats out there is reused and you need a special license to buy and use it.And yes its about 80 bucks a 12oz can and most cars use 3 cans.The r134a is a lot cheaper and anyone can buy it depending who does it you can get your car changed over to r134a for 150 to 200 bucks depending on who does it.Which the r12 your looking to spend that much alone plus labor and pray it don't have a leak.Which your at it have them put the dye in the system so if there is ever a leak a black light will show the leak.

 

I don't know what they charge to do a conversion, I have done all my own air conditioner work for over 20 years now, it would depend on what they decide to do. Some shops will want to replace the hoses, the compressor, and you have to replace the dryer any time the system is open. Compressors run under $200, hoses maybe $50 each. But you might not need either, the only thing youHAVE to change to convert, is the oil in the system, and the dryer. The oil they use with R-12 turns to sludge ifyou run it with R-134. The hoses and the compressor only need to be changed if they leak. You can purchase a complete new system for around $1,100, that would include all new hoses, compressor, evaporator, and condenser. So if they want $1,000 in partsrun away. http://www.vintageair.comsells a complete kit, and there are many others. If you install a system, you would only have to have some one charge the system up.

 

At last year's Mustang Owners of Austin car show, a guy was selling a case of R12. I talked him down to $150 for the unopened case (12 cans).

If I could start over with my A/C investment, I would have replaced everything with a Vintage Air or Classic Auto Air conversion.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys, I took the car in today to have it converted over because no one anywhere around here carries R12.
Cost me $218 but its worth it considering its mid-July and I'm in FL

 

you might just want to use this no conversion needed goes right in with r12

http://www.freeze12.com/

 

Has anyone here used this Freeze12 alturnative?

I still have 2 vehicles running R12 and have only 2 cansleft so eventually will need to convert to something. The 134 conversion is not appealing due to the cooling loss and large incidence of component failures after conversion.

 

I wish we had a good AC shop here. Ours hasn't worked in 20+ years and we arent sure which components are to blame. I want to get it working, with the proviso it's kept to a basically stock setup- I don't want aftermarket equipment everywhere. Is there a good way I can test for leaks on my old factory setup at home? Although with that route I'd have to go buy a belt and connect up the AC system most likely.

 

Air conditioning isn't magic, if you have the ability to do a quality brake job, your probably smart enough to work on an air conditioner. There are a few special tools, gauges about $80, a vacuum pump, those are expensive $150 -200, and a thermometer. Older cars usually stop working because all of the Freon has leaked out of the system, usually through the seal on the compressor. If there is still Freon in it, you put a can of leak detector in, and run the AC. Turn off the lights, and use a black light, the leak lights up. Fix the leak, usually a seal, o-ring, gasket or hose. Then draw a vacuum on the system, shut the pump off and watch, if the system stays at a vacuum, the leak is fixed. Replace the dryer, redraw a vacuum, and refill with Freon. In all the time I've worked on AC systems, I have replacehoses, a handful of o-rings, and lots of compressor seals, and compressors. Occasionally you have a leaking condenser or evaporator, but not usually. Once in a great while I have found other thing's wrong, but those are rare.

 

it works with good results

 

You can get bootleg R12 from Mexico that is not too expensive here in South Texas. My buddys who had done the conversion switched back because R12 works much better and it not too hard to find around here. I personnally run R134. It works fine if done correctly. The head pressures are much higher in the hot summer down here, but that is fine if the coils are correct. New condensors and evaporators are easy to find from some place like NPD and the compressors are not too bad either. If you did not have A/C, then that would require Vintage Air or something like that. To fix a leak and charge a system here with R134 is around $300.

+1 on checking the gas valves near the compressor. They are different for R12 and R134. Now, that does not mean who ever did the conversion did it right, but that will tell you what gas it is ready for. R12 and R134 oil is incompatible, soyou cannot mix them or it will F the whole thing up.