Need Advice on replacing bathtub fixtures.

Repair the fixtures you have

Chances are that the valves inside the walls are on the verge of failure, based on the age of what you describe. I would open the walls and replace the valves in addition to the fixture handles. This would obviously then require changing or significantly repairing the shower walls.

Nope.

If you are near BR, give B&B Faucet Repair on Florida Blvd a try. Odds are good they have new valve stems & seats that will fix your problem.

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Two for knobs

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I could be 100% wrong but.....
I want to say maybe there is code now where if a shower is installed it must have a mixing valve (single handle). These are pressure balancing so that if you are showering and someone say flushes a toilet, when the pressure drops on the cold, the valve will also match the hot so you aren't scalded. I'd have to imagine due to this, most places don't stock what your looking for. Now they still make 2/3 valve setups for tub/shower combos because I think there is some sort of grandfather rule for replacing an existing one.

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DOn't want to start tearing out stuff.

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And because of this, none of the above matters. If you don't have an access panel on the backside, you will have to cut the wall open to replace.

Assuming its a simple stem leak (leak from the knob) or one of the valves isn't fully shutting off, then Trout Bandit is right. Rebuild the one you have via new stems or may could get by with a simple o-ring/seat washer replacement on the current stems.

If you go rebuild route and are not going to do it yourself, call a plumber. They should be able to get the stems you need. Sometimes they are hard to match because they made so many different ones.
If you are going to do it yourself, turn off water to home, pull a stem, go to faucet store and have them match it, and go home and replace. This is exactly what I did not long ago to my 1970/1980ish tub faucets.

If this is a cosmetic thing, well all you can really do is swap the trim and knobs.

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If you are near BR, give B&B Faucet Repair on Florida Blvd a try. Odds are good they have new valve stems & seats that will fix your problem.

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This. They carry all the items to change out the hardware on the two handle faucets. Handles, faucet spouts, drain plugs. I’ve changed out the two handle bathtub-shower hardware in 3 bathrooms in my house this past year with supplies purchased at B&B Faucet Repair - not expensive.