It always starts with something simple then escalates into a much larger job. This was one of those times.
I had noticed on the last run that my hand brake was making a metal grinding noise when used for any extended period. With the upcoming tour in September I decided I better take the wheels off and have look. I has hoping to see worn out linings, an easy fix, but no such luck. The grinding noise seems to be coming from a worn brake arm bushing causing the pivot to tilt and contact the drum when pressure is applied. It looks like some of the pieces have already been remade once so I assume this is a common problem.
I went to check the play in the outer axle bearings and found that the passenger side was quite loose. Upon closer inspection I saw that the original ball bearing unit had been removed and replaced with a modern sealed unit. The fitment of the retrofit definitely left something to be desired. Everything is loose. They had machined the old race to hold the new bearing but the machine work was much to rough to get a proper fit. Everything is spinning on each other so the pieces will need to be remade. Just to add insult to injury that modern bearing is missing a 1/4" chunk of metal. Just another day at the shop...
Brake band removed on the drivers side with the original bearing assembly.