Reviving an old A/C system... worth a try?

[KeyBlazer]

The factory A/C on my 73 K10 was missing the belt to the compressor when I got it, and so I have never used it.
I was doing a evac and R12 recharge on my old Mercedes, and just for giggles I popped the cap on the service port, and pressed the valve... it hissed a bit.
I began to wonder.... so I put my vac pump on the truck... and it pulled a solid vacuum and held it for 2 days(after I pulled the vac, 2 days later I checked it and it was still -35psi)... not sign of leaks!
So, it made me think... am I off my head to want to put on a belt, and recharge it? I still have 10+ cans of R12...
The clutch spins, ok, if it sounds a little gritty thru lack of use. If I grab the pulley, the pump turns, but it too stiff to turn far by hand.

Anyone revived an old system like this, or Should I not bother?

 

[K85 Octane]

what could go wrong if you try?
really, cause I don't know
I would have gone for it lol

 

[KeyBlazer]

Well, I have owned the truck 5+ years now... I was concerned if I should add some Oil to the Compressor/system?
Only other issue is that the heater core is bypassed... and the fan mtor is not working on anything other than low.

 

[Blue85]

Well no leaks is a very good sign. Unless you have the R-12 recovery equipment, I would add a little oil and refrigerant and test the system to see if there is a restriction. If you can build a little pressure, you should be able to see how quickly it equalizes with the gauges. Then if you have a plugged orifice tube or something you can tear it apart and flush the system before wasting all of that refrigerant.

You could also switch it over to R-134 now and sell that R-12 for a small fortune.