Bessie rolled home with her original wheels and tires. Yep, circa 1959. They don't make wheels like they used to, but in this case that's a good thing. Now wheels are one piece that you slide on an axle and the tire goes around it. Back then, wheels had two pieces that locked together, sandwiching the tire between them. Apparently that's not considered safe anymore.
Bessie's ORIGINAL tires. Still intact and rolling...
Beauties, aren't they?
Les Schwab Tires is only 3 blocks from our house so we took her there to replace the wheels, tires, and have the bearings packed. Also asked them to check the brakes, which they said look brand-new (replaced and then never used).
Three days and four hundred dollars later, Bessie rolled back home with tough little trailer tires ready for some road action.
I'm unclear whether or not Les Schwab bent her frame. Trying not to damage the aluminum underbelly, they jacked her up by the bumper and the tongue. They thought they had the correct replacement parts in stock but they were wrong so they had them delivered the next day. The guy delivered the wrong part, so they had the correct ones delivered the day after. All this time, Bessie was hammocked between the jack-stands and a railroad tie, as pictured below.
Now she appears to have a slight rocker. Not sure what to do about this if I can do anything at all. Not sure it's even a problem, and not sure if anyone else can even see what I think I see. Perhaps Bessie just knows she belongs to a surfer and wants to emulate the flattened rocker of the surfboards I love. (I love you back Bessie!)