[dagnabbitt]

The brakes seem to be functioning like they should: the effect of hydroboost on a brake pedal is kind of unique and the driving experience is a bit different. My last diesel was a Ram 3500 and I never paid attention to the brakes. It was a modern vehicle and it worked perfectly so I paid no attention to it. It was useful but boring and I barely remember it. What I am saying is I think my new brakes are good but do not have a reference point to compare to.

To be clear, prior to doing this work I said I thought the truck "stops like a somewhat modern truck": I would later learn that the rears did not work at all, the master cylinder was shot, the hydroboost was garbage, the parking brakes were seized. The only thing keeping me from piling into a bread truck was that the front brake shoes had some particularly pointy rivets. I am a lousy measurement of whether brakes work, I guess. I live in the moment, and at the moment I am alive. I assume the brakes are better than they were before.

Anyway since I have some shop time with my mechanic friend, we are skipping the test drive (see above, who cares) and going right into fixing the steering. Earlier I mentioned that this thing turns well one way, but not so much the other way. So the first thing to try is just removing the pitman arm and centering the wheel.

Since I am pretty sure I am done with the brakes I felt confident enough to finally add my hubcovers. I am pretty pleased, they suit the truck and just disappear into those satin powdercoated rims. The fronts are repops, but the rears are original circa 1991 dually covers. They are not common as decent survivor parts... these four caps came from ebay and four different corners of the US.