Took me a while to find the time to do the brakes, but I finally got to do them this last friday. All went well and since I had already gotten the new bearing kit I chose to go ahead and replace the old ones. I imagine they were never replaced, so from now on I'll do them once every 20 years...
I did not expect to feel a difference , but I swear that a hidden whine from the wheels, one I could never actually pin down, has vanished.