A/C options?

[Project1970]

About a month ago, not quite, my fan wheel tried to seperate from the hub that held it to the motor. I just recently got around to epoxying it together. So when it cured, I went to fire up my A/C again and...nothing, no cold air whatsoever. Left it off again until today when I got a chance to work on it, and discovered two things - first, the compressor was making noise, and second, it was VERY low on R12.

So, my dad and I put in a can of oil (which immediately quieted the compressor down) and *gulp* 3 cans, maybe 4, of R12...I've only got two left now.

Basically, I've got a big leak somewhere, and if I do a new compressor like I probably will need, I don't have enough Freon left to do a fill. Right now, it is blowing pretty cold, but summer's almost over...I bet when I fire it up again next year, nothing.

So, just wondering...I might have some extra cash to put into this to "do it right" since the compressor is an old AutoZone remanufactured unit...what's my best route as far as getting this A/C system to top-notch shape, or close to it? I'd like to stick with the stock setup rather than converting it all to the Old Air setup, just because my guess is it'll be less work and less money. Are there any compressors out there that work better / use less power than the rebuilt A6 units I'll get at AutoZone or Checker, and that would work well with R134a on the otherwise built-for-R12 setup?