4 wheel drum brakes....am I asking for trouble?

[jakeslim]

I currently have the stock 4 wheel drum brakes on my 69. As I am now at the point where she is about road worthy, is this setup safe? I know I can drop in another d44 with disc, but I really like the idea of maintaining a stock setup.
Are these brakes just not safe?

[Longhorn Man]

if in decent to good shape, they are plenty safe. just don't be riding everyone's butt.

[68w/sbc406]

i am running 4 wheel disc and i normally drive faster than i should, just make sure you have good drums and pads and they are bled good. you will be fine

[cableguy0]

they arent the greatest. they need constant adjustment. yes they have self adjusters but most of the time they arent worth a sh!t. i would do the swap.drums like to get hot and fade badly. i would definately do the swap drums cannot compare to disk brakes in stopping whatsoever

[raggedjim]

Jake, my blazer has drums all around and I do tend to drive too fast. The drums make for some butt-puckering moments. I'm going to discs SOON...

Rg

[jakeslim]

yeah.....i hate to get in an accident over them. I guess i will go through them and "freshen" everything I can about them, including pads, lines, fluid etc. Brakes are a good thing If I still don't find them to be acceptable, i'll make the swap and through the stock axle into storage.

jakeslim

[3 on the tree]

I guess I must be an "old timer". My first three or four vehicles all had 4 wheel drum brakes. Yes they do fade much quicker than discs, especially downhill,but there sure were a lot of them made to be "unsafe". They were originally designed to stop your rig reliablly(?) and they will if maintained properly. Mine are staying on my 70, the radial tires will make a big difference in stopping ability. Your call bro.

[1969 GMC]

I dd'ed my truck for over a year with the stock 4 wheel drums. Next time it drives anywhere under its own power it will have 4 wheel discs.

[krazy_texan]

my truck and my car both have 4 wheel drums, i plan on putting discs on the front of the car someday but the truck is going to keep them

[Swbman]

Just helped my brother change his 69 to five lug disc and 5 lug rearend,and put in an hei distributor.Now the thing runs and stops great.I highly reccommend the swap. I don't own a vehicle without at least disc on the front,swap done on all of them..

[Brainchild]

Under "Normal conditions" you'll be OK,but high speed,downhill,or towing,the swap is worth it.Cause there really is no such thing as Normal conditions

[JIMs70GMC]

I've put over 54K miles on my 4 drums on my 70 K25 turning 35" tires. If you keep them in tip-top shape you'll have no problems.

[1-PU70]

There is nothing wrong with 4 wheel drums. If you keep the fronts adjusted properly they stop fine without pulling to one side. The only drawback to drums in the front is when it rains. You never know witch way they are going to pull.

[Warbones]

Here when is rains it floods the streets. NO breaks in my last truck with drums. Is this a matter of adjustment?

[shortymac83]

here's a little matter of comparison: When I bought the truck, the brakes were OK, but were just a bit out of adjustment. So, I changed the fluid, bled the system and replaced everything that was broken and adjusted them. Even after all that, I have to hit the brakes HARD to stop in any amount of time. Anyway, I had the Olds (front discs) parked at the old house, and was going to pick it up last weekend. I drove the truck all weekend, so I was used to how that drives and stops and everything with manual 4 wheel drums. So I park the truck, hop in the car and start heading toward the first stop sign at about 20 mph. hit the brakes like I'm still in the truck, lock up all 4 tires and slam my chest into the steering wheel. ow.

The truck is keeping the 4 wheel drums for originality sake, but you have to watch about 4 cars ahead of you in city driving so you can properly anticipate. And don't try to be mario andretti with it either, because you won't like yourself in the morning.