I decided to order the FJC 2.5 CFM 2 stage vaccum pump and a basic Yellow Jacket R12 gage set. Looking through YJ's web site, I'm quite impressed. They have some tech tips I find interesting:
http://www.yellowjacket.com/tt.html
I also ordered the automotive service manual to keep me out of trouble.
Thanks Jim for the offer of the evacuation machine. I'm still very "green" on the AC stuff. I'll keep the evacuation machine in mind.