*CBHVAC* writes:

You cant buy SilPhos by the stick, so thats a pound at $45.
OxyAcyt torch, another 350.
manifold that is accurate, another 150.
scale thats accurate: another 350 to 600
vac pump, on sale 275
micron gauge, on sale, 150
flush, 75
ports, 5.00 each
nitrogen tank, with regulator, 250
R22, at least 90

That's the right kit for the job. But you can improvise certain repairs
without most of it.

My suggestion was conditional on this being an R-134a unit, not R-22, which
would allow repeated filling and venting instead of vacuuming, obviating
the need for all that equipment.

You're correct that it would be illegal these days with R-22 and less
likely to succeed with R-22 pressures. Although my tire patches back in
the 1970s worked fine on 300 psi R-12 high-side lines.