Factory A/C, what to do

[dmjlambert]

Folks, assume I know very little about A/C. I am able to understand mechanical things but an A/C novice and I have no tools related to A/C. What I have here is a 1969 CST/10 with A/C, and so far I have not done anything with the A/C. When I pulled the engine and fixed it up, I just unbolted the compressor and set it aside and left the hoses attached. The whole A/C system looks pretty much undisturbed although dirty, and the only things I see obviously wrong are the control panel has broken levers and the A/C clutch wire is chewed up, and the inside duct work has been re-routed in weird ways to accommodate a larger than stock radio.

So, here are my questions: Should I keep the hoses attached and fix and clean around the system assuming it is still pressurized? If I can get the controls, wiring, and blower motor and other such things working, I would then have the R-12 topped off and install a belt on the compressor and see what I get when I start it up. Would that be worth the trouble, or should I go ahead and completely disassemble right from the start?