That's The Brakes!

It's been over two years since I got my new torsion axle and brakes. Since then, Gary and Dodge and I have traveled thousands of miles. Since we are going to be traveling for the next few months to come, and for safety reasons and peace of mind, Gary decided to take my wheels off and my brakes apart for a visual inspection. My brakes look fine, but they are WAY out of adjustment. My brake drums have always been more egg shaped than round, and that's not good. They were attached to my new axle when it arrived via Fed Ex, and it was obvious that they had been banged around a lot between the factory in Texas and our house in Florida. They will be machined into perfect roundness at the machine shop. They are sitting in the back of Dodge as we speak, ready to be taken for machining on Monday morning. My wheel bearings looked good too, but there was no way that they would simply be reused as-is. They were cleaned, repacked with Gary's favorite wheel bearing grease (it's red, of course), and put in plastic baggies to keep them clean until my brake drums return from the machine shop. All related parts were cleaned and put in baggies as well. My spindles have been degreased, and my brake shoes lightly sanded. Basically, I'm ready to be put back together. I am currently suspended off the ground with six jack stands, a floor jack, and my tongue jack. Gary is always overly cautious when it comes to working on something that isn't supported by it's own wheels. Better safe than sorry! With only five days left before we hit the road, it doesn't look like I'll be getting the cleaning and polishing I was promised, but that's okay. It's better that I'm roadworthy rather than shiny. More updates soon, I promise!