Any experiences you can share would be much appreciated.

Are there any kits that are specific and actually fit correctly ? 

I am not going to buy any general assortment type of deal and have a thousand O rings I don’t need.

The car is a 94 so it’s all set with 134a , got that going for us. It’s still fairly low miles with just over 135k I think. Wife’s car. She has suffered these past two summers with crappy a/c or non at all. We love these classics so pardon me. 

Also , I’ve wanted to do my own compressor clutch swap. Are there reliable clutches out there you have used with success ? 

Being the car is so old and we still want to keep it going , should I invest in a new core ? And how much of a pain is that job ? I have already had a 92-94 dashboard out so I’m not afraid. If I go this deep I’m thinking I’ll do the heater core too. 

Anything else you can think of ? The hard lines look pretty good but this is salty New England and pitting sure does happen. Any cheap easy coating or replace only with those ? I’m not sure how any coating would affect the sweating/condensation. If that matters.

I’ve got until next May to do this now. Thank you September !

I do have a good used compressor. Clutch looks and spins ok but I’d like to feel as secure as possible , so I’d be willing to spend for a new clutch. 

I bought an aftermarket, application-specific kit for our '04 Outback when I repaired it from crash damage. Almost nothing fit. Even though they're probably a couple dollars each, I'd just order them individually from the dealer and not worry about it. Not worth the risk of loosing $30 in refrigerant to save $5-10 on Orings, IMO.

I have seen application specific kits somewhere maybe partsgeek.com or rockauto.com maybe even Subaru. I bought an assortment.

One thing to consider, if you remove the evaporator core you will be able to clean the outside of it. On our 95 I found about 3/4 of it was blocked with small parts of leaves. The air could only go through the upper front corner and that is where they put the temp sensor on the air flow output side. If the a/c was on recirculate the compressor would cycle on and off because the temp sensor was getting too cold. With the air from the outside the compressor ran normal. I really wish these cars had a cabin air filter.

Also, the expansion valve is bolted to the evaporator (it is on our RHD) so maybe replace it while it is out. I had to put one in our 95. That is when I saw how blocked the core was.

Make sure the pully bearing spins free and does not make any noise. I replace one on ours. It is pressed into the pully.

If you remove the clutch be careful when you pull it off. There may be one or two thin washers inside used for adjusting clearance of the clutch and pully.

Somewhere I found what I call a plastic spring. They make a 1/4 inch strip of plastic and then mold it into the shape of a spring. It can be spiraled around the pipe any place it might rub against something.

I would just install a used compressor, new orings, new Schrader valves and call it good.  

For additional measure replace the hoses and drier.  Hoses can be found cheap aftermarket, or in your area you can definitely find a hose builder in an urban market to rebuild the hose for $30 or so.  

Subaru ac systems are super easy to work on and rarely fail.  Not worth putting a ton of time or thought into.

just do it now, they’re so easy it won’t take long at all and you’ll be able to defog the windows in the cold humid winter storms. 

I wouldn’t touch the core, waste of time to pull a working one, they hardly ever fail. 

Ok cool thanks

right about the defrost for sure