Back in February I purchased this for around $1600 and wasn't sure what I had. I joined here posted the door tag and everyone was nice enough to tell me. I've spent about $650 on a brake job and all the necessary documentation to get it legal, and its a pretty solid truck. I only have one problem. No A/C! And I live in Texas! Summer is coming and it's gonna be pretty darn hot. It takes R-12 freon, which as I understand it is no longer commercially available, as a matter of fact, it's downright illegal. Any low cost/no cost ideas or will I be duct taping a fan to my dash this summer?

 

R12 is absolutely still available. It is expensive due to it no longer being manufactured and you just have to be "certified" to purchase and dispense it. Check for a AC service shop near you.

 

agreed. R-12 is still legal, and available. i buy it from Lenz Distributors out of Jacksonville IL.
but i also have EPA 609 certification to buy it too.

 

That's a relief. Now that i'm looking online I see what you're talking about. $35/can I REALLY hope that's all that's wrong with it..

 

pull a vacuum of at least 25 inches on the system. if it holds vacuum for 24 hours, it will most likely be fine to refill. provided the compressor is good.

 

There are also R12 replacements available, such as Autofrost and Freeze-12, that would most likely be cheaper, but you also need the EPA 609 cert. to buy them legally.

You can also convert to R134a very cheaply, but be careful, how little you spend on the conversion is usually inversely proportional to how long it will last.

Where in Texas are you? I just had a friend tell me the other day he ran across some old cans of R12 that his granddad bought years ago. He wanted to know if I had any use for em but all my stuff has been converted long ago to R134a.

 

Big fan of R12...I score cans of it on E-bay for very reasonable prices when i work on older cars. If I plan to keep them I have new hoses made since the old ones are usually pretty well shot after all those years of heat cycling in the engine compartment.

 

Granted you're in Texas, but that little vent window flipped 180, and the side and rear windows open make a nice breezeway... I was driving around in the 90degree heat we had here in NJ last week with just that arrangement- as my AC is fritzed out too at the moment... Reasonably cool- even in direct sunlight & heat...

Scott

 

You can substitute canned duster for R-12…

 

Yes you could do that but it is a hack without long term results or side effects from using. Perhaps I am overly cautious.

 

It's a similar refrigerant… what's the problem? I'm no expert although I was ASE certified in A/C years ago. We have a local shop here that has done dozens of old cars with this stuff… no downside that I know of. Cheap and easy.

 

r134 is also cheap and easy. If bought in bulk, r134 can be around $3 per pound.

 

Thanks for all the replies fellas. I have called EVERY mechanic shop and auto parts store in town and no one carries R-12 or FREEZE-12. One guy even laughed at me "They still make that stuff?" One shop will do the conversion for a cool $200+. That's what I was afraid of. I'm tired of sinking $$$ into it lol.

 

East Texas

 

If I had the AC license, I would buy r12 for my older vehicles, but anywhere around here, you can forgot having a shop put it in for you. They only want to recover and charge an enormous amount for that. And the cost of retrofitting to 134a or 152 is near the same cost. Its so crazy and absurd.