Sorry for the delay in the update. I've been REALLY busy this week. I'm not much help to Gary in getting ready for our camping trip, but I'm one heck of a good motivator and cheerleader. He has been frantically getting me and everything else ready to go, and it's almost the start of our favorite time of year, CAMPING SEASON. We are SO tired of the heat and humidity that Florida summers are famous for. The fall and winters are made for us, and we plan to enjoy every minute. Before we hit the highway in the morning, let me tell you about a few of the mechanical things that have happened since my last post. My brake drums went to the machine shop, and came back perfectly round, the way they are SUPPOSED to be. There's always a bit of cleaning to do after they are machined, and Gary got right to work on that. Next, my re-packed wheel bearings were installed, and topped off with brand new grease seals. Am I impressing you with my knowledge of all of this? A few years ago, I wouldn't have known a wheel bearing from an axle, but Gary has "schooled" me very well. I've seen enough work being done around here that I think I could almost do some of this stuff myself. If only I had hands and legs instead of a tongue and tires. I could be dangerous! Anyway, back to the story. The next thing to be done was to install my brake drums and adjust my brakes. Except for Gary somehow smashing his left pinky finger, all of that went well. My tires were inspected before being reinstalled. Considering they are five years old and have a ton of miles on them, they still look like new. Then came Gary's least favorite part of the job, and that is putting those big tires inside those tiny wheel well openings. I had to be jacked up even further than I already was to make that happen. With my lug nuts tightened and my hubcaps installed, I was ready for a test ride. We went around the block first, and Gary tweaked the settings on the van's electronic trailer brake controller. Then we went out on I-95, and headed a few miles south to the first exit. We made a U-turn and headed back. Before we got home, it rained lightly. I was hoping to not get wet, but there was no escaping it. Back inside the garage, Gary checked my wheel hubs and brakes for excessive heat, but everything was perfectly normal. My brakes worked better than they ever have. Machining those previously egg-shaped brake drums made all the difference. "Dodge" the van got his rear brakes adjusted this week as well, so in addition to being ready to go, we are ready to stop when we need to. Well, I guess I need to get off of this computer and get back to my motivating and cheerleading duties. There is a LOT to do yet before we go, and I need to keep "cracking the whip" on my beloved owner, so we can leave on time. I'll check in from Falling Waters State Park in the Florida panhandle, our first stop on the schedule. Enjoy your day!
No comments:
Post a Comment