With the heat coming on I decided to browse through eBay for A/C compressors, rebuilt or what have you, and found that a new compressor is about the same price as a reman, at least from buyautoparts.com. This is partly due to where I bought it (everyone else seems to want more) but also because it's a common GM axial compressor which is used on many vehicles. It's a really small little sucker that can turn 7,000 RPM, and Mercedes wisely used a V-belt pulley which makes it easy to source.
In fact, for $265 I am getting everything but the dryer, with free ground shipping. This is going to be a fun little job which includes replacing the thermostatic expansion valve. This is the metering device in the Mercedes A/C system, and if I'm going to be ripping the system apart I might as well replace it. The dryer is coming from Napa, with no shipping but I have to go pick it up.
I also ordered an axle for the Astro, so hopefully that will be rolling on down the road again soon. Now, off to look for bushings for the rear spring and shackle of the Ford...