How to remove the air conditioning unit in a 1977 Chevy Nova?

[Marc]

The belt is gone, it's never ran since I had it for the past... uhh...week. lol But I want it GONE! I want to know if I can do this safely at home. I heard some pretty horrific stories about whatever is in there spraying in eyes, mouth, n such... So I heard it's nasty stuff. How do I remove this safely using basic household tools. (Have a very basic craftsman tool set). I'm somewhat car savvy, but rather be safe than sorry. Thanx for you time!

 

[Ivan Herndon]

Okay, step 1: Go to a service center and have an authorized person evacuate the A/C. If this is the original A/C (or for whatever reason it does not have a "retrofitted to R-134a" sticker), it is a federal crime to release the freon in the system. It has R-12 in it which is harmful to the atmosphere. (Not only that, but as you eluded to in your question, it will prevent the spraying in your eyes, etc)
After that, you can knock yourself out with the A/C components, as long as you understand any side effects of what you're doing. But with the system evacuated, there's no pressure or harmful freon in the system.