so i sort of am frustrated with the onset of "Phantom Gas Syndrome" and in response i decided to work on something that would actually get me results:

after a year of procrastination i got around to lubing my splines- at 24k. I am happy to report that there was still a thin layer of grease left and no discernible wear. i took the opportunity to also clean up the drum brake- still plenty of life left in it - and cleaning out the dust has fixed the slight squeek i was getting.

in any case, it was surprisingly easy to do, and though i did still have some grease, it was getting pretty thin- so if you got about 2 hours i suggest taking a a look.