http://www.refrigerantsinc.com/fr12.html
Our local carquest stocks it under the commercial name freeze 12. I am going to have to pick some up as I am planning on reinstalling my Ac to ready the car for sale. With a second kid due any day the ability of keeping my car is getting harder.
Freeze 12 is a blend and it's production been discontinued. It does work but please ---if you install it label your system so that you do not trash a shops AC equipment if you take it in for service later. I've used it in a number of older vehicles but now have simply converted to R134
There is guy in Toronto with a small horde of R12. He's a bit of a prick and it ain't cheap. If your local pm. Or if you want a large tank for a group fill pm.
Last I checked (3 days ago), ebay sold it- plenty of it. Price is not what you would guess. Its now getting so unpopular, inventories are dragging, such that price can only get so high. I have it in one of my cars, but now, avoid it- I like HC's.
Hmmmm, N Hollywood, eh? Good to know. Is this a shop or just a "a guy"? Any idea what he charges (no pun, OK?)
Agree - R12 is easy to find on Ebay and doesn't really cost all that much. But you might want to consider Duracool or one of the other propane-based refrigerants. It's much cheaper then R12 and even cheaper than 134. It has almost identical cooling characteristics to R12 and is actually more efficient (though probably more on paper than noticeably). It works as advertised! HOWEVER... It is NOT a legal (certified) fill for any oem auto system in the US (though it is for other (non-auto) ac applications and for autos in other parts of the world. It has never been tested for automotive use in the USA which is why it is not certified. So it is unlikely that any AC shop will install it which makes it pretty much a DIY thing. But it performs as R12 and works far better in an oem R12 system than does 134. Again, worth considering if you don't want to buy R12. There is increasing interest in propane-based refrigerants in general due to their efficiency and the fact that they have no adverse affect on the atmosphere.
I aggree, Mike, that HC's are maybe the way to go. I am a big fan. But, just my experiences so far, HC's are not as cold as the r12 I used to use. BUT, hey, no complaints otherwise, as it is so much easier to use. They are colder than r134a, clearly, to me. If one studies HC's well, I mean REALLY well, advantages are sooo many. I think HC's day may still be coming......
