I have a 1972 chevelle with the factory a/c. I have the compressor of for some time now, about 5 years. It worked before but leaked out the r12 from the hoses. I was just wondering if i should overhaul the exixting system buy flushing it and buying new hoses and re using the compressor of go with anouther more modern system such as vintage air or classic air.

See my reply to mmurphy77 below. If it were me, I'd recondition the factory air. All the pieces are engineered to work together.
The tools and equipment can be borrowed or purchased and the parts and supples too, for about the price of an aftermarket kit, or a repair shop bill. Good luck.

i have factory air in my ss and it works fine with 134 37 deg out of the center vent

Absolutely stay with the OEM system.
The thing to remember is :"If you do it right, you will only do it once".

One big issue is going to be the compressor. How was it stored? If it laid on the floor in a damp garage with the ports open, it's ruined. If the ports were capped and it was on a shelf, it should be ok.
-If it is ok, it will need at least a new shaft seal. There is a double lip neoprene seal that will replace the original ceramic seal that works better for oil control.
-Drain the oil and look at it. If it contains water, get a new compressor.
- Look inside the ports. Do you see rust? If so, get a new one.
-Spin the clutch. Does it turn free and smooth with no tight spots? If not...
- Place your finger over the ports and turn the clutch. You should feel a strong suction on one and pressure on the other.

Another issue is corrosion in the evaporator, condenser and/or the aluminum lines. The inside of those parts is raw aluminum. If the openings weren't capped there is probably corrosion. Remove the POA valve, expansion valve, and the connections at the condenser. Blow a shot of compressed air through the cond, evap and any steel lines. If you see white dust, those parts will have to be replaced.

The POA valve can be tested and adjusted for R134a. See the FAQ section at www.autoacforum.com for the procedure. New replacements or good used ones aren't hard to find and aren't really expensive. NOS valves are way pricy.

At worst, if everything is trashed, you can totally rebuild the OEM system for about as much as buying an aftermarket system. The OEM system will work better. Budget about $1000 for the overhaul, then be pleasantly surprised if/when it is less.

Couple of hints:
-If you need a compressor, stay away from the remans at the "chain" parts stores. The quality is dismal. A quality A-6 reman is about $150 and a new one is about $400.
-If you need a POA valve, don't be tempted by the POA eliminator kits. They don't work well. The POA valve is the very heart of that AC system.
-Don't forget about the fan clutch. If it's more than about 8-10 years old, replace it. It will be weak enough to affect the AC performance at idle and low speeds. If you use R134a, replace it only with a new AC Delco clutch. The aftermarket clutches don't do much better at idle that a weak OEM clutch.

Good Luck

Absolutely stay with the OEM system.
The thing to remember is :"If you do it right, you will only do it once".

One big issue is going to be the compressor. How was it stored? If it laid on the floor in a damp garage with the ports open, it's ruined. If the ports were capped and it was on a shelf, it should be ok.
-If it is ok, it will need at least a new shaft seal. There is a double lip neoprene seal that will replace the original ceramic seal that works better for oil control.
-Drain the oil and look at it. If it contains water, get a new compressor.
- Look inside the ports. Do you see rust? If so, get a new one.
-Spin the clutch. Does it turn free and smooth with no tight spots? If not...
- Place your finger over the ports and turn the clutch. You should feel a strong suction on one and pressure on the other.

Another issue is corrosion in the evaporator, condenser and/or the aluminum lines. The inside of those parts is raw aluminum. If the openings weren't capped there is probably corrosion. Remove the POA valve, expansion valve, and the connections at the condenser. Blow a shot of compressed air through the cond, evap and any steel lines. If you see white dust, those parts will have to be replaced.

The POA valve can be tested and adjusted for R134a. See the FAQ section at www.autoacforum.com for the procedure. New replacements or good used ones aren't hard to find and aren't really expensive. NOS valves are way pricy.

At worst, if everything is trashed, you can totally rebuild the OEM system for about as much as buying an aftermarket system. The OEM system will work better. Budget about $1000 for the overhaul, then be pleasantly surprised if/when it is less.

Couple of hints:
-If you need a compressor, stay away from the remans at the "chain" parts stores. The quality is dismal. A quality A-6 reman is about $150 and a new one is about $400.
-If you need a POA valve, don't be tempted by the POA eliminator kits. They don't work well. The POA valve is the very heart of that AC system.
-Don't forget about the fan clutch. If it's more than about 8-10 years old, replace it. It will be weak enough to affect the AC performance at idle and low speeds. If you use R134a, replace it only with a new AC Delco clutch. The aftermarket clutches don't do much better at idle that a weak OEM clutch.

Good Luck


Good advise. I agree

When replacing the compressor stay away from remans or Chinese Junk. We still sell the AC Delco 15-2227 that fits most chevelle applications. The POA valve replacements do not perform well and they use a clutch cycling switch. Cycling an A6 compressor to avoid freeze up is really hard on the clutch.