On a three hour trip in the Texas heat my original compressor on my 72 cutlass locked up. I had just converted over to r134a and it was ice cold. My question is should I just buy a new delco compressor or a rebuilt delco compressor? What can I do to keep this from happening again?

Finally, my a/c hoses appear to be seaping because I see droplets of moisture on the rubber hoses. Where can I find original looking hoses and which should I buy-barrier or not?

Thanks alot.

If your old compressor locked up, it probably sent metal shavings into the system. You need a compressor, filter/dryer and re-charge, AT A MINIMUM. I would install an inline filter, and consider a complete flush of the system.

I've heard bad things about R134A retrofits. The new refrigerant just doesn't get along with the "old" oil, and really isn't that wonderful with the "new" oil.

You absolutely want barrier hose, the 134a refrigerant molecule is smaller than the R-12 molecule, so any porosity becomes a leak.

Moisture on the low side (cold) hoses is probably just condensation. If it isn't oily, don't worry about it.