Well it is fixed and I got my inspection sticker.
Let me start by saying thanks to all who posted responses to my original question. It was very helpful.
But now that I have been there I just have to comment. The engineering on this system just stinks. Ever since about 20000 miles on the clock I have heard what sounded like brake noise from the rear of the truck. I had it back to the dealer several times and each time they told me nothing wrong and that they didn't hear anything. BULL, they knew, they had to know.
Having cut my teeth on old drum brakes I had anticipated much more than I found.
Replacement pads turned out to be a dealer only item here in the Houston area and at the sweet price of only $80.00 for the pair (one for each wheel).
Maybe I missed something but I saw no automatic adjuster. The adjuster is there for initial adjustment before installing the rotor/drum. You set it by measuring the diameter of the pad assembly. Or in my case, if you have driven to many miles with worn pads and damaged the drum diameter, you adjust them such that there is some resistance as you install the rotor/drum. This way once you get past the lip that was worn into the drum the brakes will still do something.
Next in days gone buy where I worked on real drum brakes there was evidence of engineering intended to keep the pads centered within the center of the drum. I saw no evidence of this at all in this new design. It looks to me like gravity and road bumps alone will insure that these pads will drag the rotor all the time wearing out the pads in short time.
As for the new improved retaining clip, yea right. The old clip had a surface area of approximately 1/2 inch that pinch the pads and held them in place. Now the new retainer has a spring plate such that the surface area is distributed over an area of about 1 inch give or take. This allows the pad assembly to slide around a bit easier. As for how this is an improvement I'm lost. Looks to me if anything it allows gravity to win and guarantees the pads will sink and drag.
I could go on but any one who has done this job knows what I'm speaking of. I did the job with my 87 year old dad. When he saw it all he could do was laugh, shake his head, and mumble something about the decline in American product engineering.
Since doing this job I have been in contact with several independent shops. I located the mechanics with a little gray hair and took a little informal survey. Each and every one I spoke with told me stories of failure of these brake with as little as 25000 miles on the vehicle.
I'd recommend anyone with one of these truck with over 30000 miles to spend the time and check theirs.
Thanks again for all the help!!