I'll post any new questions in the right thread.
Appreciate the insights from Achipmunk and tcelderman. My thoughts with the brakes first have to do with my house and garage. Concrete drive that is steep. Want to be able to stop before I put it in the garage and tear into anything else.
Dropped it off at the shop for the brake work today. We'll see what happens.
As for the question about the locking ring wheels --- don't know that they're original, but given the rest of the truck --- can't say that they're not. You guys would know best!