1990 124 300E. AC won't hold a charge. Significant leak.

I've been told that the definitive confirmation for the leaking evaporator is to remove the blower motor and look at the evaporator. I did. The photos are below. You can see that one side is nasty and oily with lots of crud stuck to it. The other side is clean. Does anyone agree or disagree that this evaporator is leaking?

Of course, MBUSA told me awhile back that they never heard of a leaking evaporator in one of their cars so if mine is indeed leaking, it will, I guess, be the first one ever to leak. Just like the upper neck on my radiator was the very first one that ever broke off.

Everything is starting to look so old in there, I wonder if I should even do this job. It's the challenge I suppose. And there's no car payment. That's nice. The car still runs great and the general public doesn't even know it's 17 years old. I think these 124s still look good. And of course, it would cost as much to have this done as the car is worth. Probably more. OK, I've had this car a long time and I still love it.

So, a couple of questions before I start the Big Project. Should I just leave the blower motor out and proceed, or put the blower motor and wiper motor and all those parts back together first, before I forget how they go together? Any advantage to having the blower motor out already?

Is it better to remove the front seats or leave them in place?

Is it better to leave the car flat on the ground or to drive it up on ramps in the front to elevate the work area a bit?

Any other comments or suggestions? Did anyone ever do a complete DIY on this job?

Which evaporator is best for a replacement?

What questions have I forgotten to ask?

Thanks

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