Getting my A/C rolling again

Probably the least of my problems, buuut it's starting to get a little hot out and some air conditioning would be nice (especially considering my mother won't ride in my truck without it and I'm not a fan of riding in her Cobalt). My '86 D-50 has factory a/c and everything seems to be intact, so I figure I might as well try and get it running. How would I possibly go about that? Obviously it's gonna need to be charged, but how in the world would I go about that in this truck? Is there anything I should check before trying?

Definitely not looking to replace anything expensive though, if getting what I've already got to work again isn't a viable option I'll just keep using the ol' 2-55 a/c system :thumbup:

The first thing is to see if the compressor activates when you turn it on. If it does then turns off and on over and over every 10 or 20 seconds that means the system needs refrigerant. Then you have to determine if there is a leak. The compressor tells you what refrigerant to use. They make refrigerant with black light fluorescing die in it to look for leaks. Fill the system with that can then using a BL look for leaks. I'm pretty sure a BL bulb in a trouble light will be fine. If there are no leaks fill it up. You might also add some oil too, the system needs it to run properly and its probably gone with the refrigerant. That is done by using a can with oil additive.
You can get these things at a Auto Zone or other part store. I bought a can with an attachment on it that also had a pressure gauge to put the refrigerant in my system. That connector fits all cans of any brand. It had instructions on it.
Read a lot first, it will save you money in the long run. You might even consider having a shop test your system and fill it just to be safe. I got lucky mine only needed refrigerant.

Already made some progress, got to digging around in cables and found one coming from the front right side of the compressor near-ish to the clutch that had been unplugged. Slapped it back in where I assumed it should go and the compressor is definitely running now when the a/c is turned on! It isn't turning off and on either, seems to just continue running as long as it's turned on. Don't feel like sitting in the truck right now to find out if it's cooling so I spose I'll find out tomorrow!

Lets hope the person who unplugged it did so for MPG's and not because they didn't want to fix the compressor. It should cycle on and off every so often even it it is full of refrigerant. The good here is if you have to change the compressor you might be able to convert to R134A refrigerant. IDK enough to say if you would have to change out any other parts.