To brake or not to brake...that is the question

[wxman1]

My 69 C10 P/U runs pretty well for a truck thats 33 yrs old.
The brakes also work...but I really have to stand on them to
stop the truck from 60 mph. Its not unsafe to drive but my brother
seemed to think that I should be locking up the brakes...given
how much pedal pressure I'm using. It equipped with a power brake booster. When I initially press the pedal the brakes really
take hold but I'm having to exert a good deal more pedal pressure to bring it to a full stop. Is this just the way 4 wheel drum brakes work...or is possibly something wrong with the
power boost? There aren't any screech or scrapping sounds
so I'm not down to the rivets. Maybe this is just a matter of
adjusting the drums?

Jim M.

[68 Suburban]

I would first change your brake fluid. This is the most overlooked part of the braking system. 30 year old brake fluid will contain a lot of moisture, moisture reduces the boiling point. Boiling fluid means brake fade. Second I would check the adjustments. It you do decide to change the shoes, check out www.praisedynobrake.com

[don t. - 72gmc]

FWIW....Im not a mechanic but I can tell you from experience, I helped my kid w/his 63 Impala, redid entire system. BIG difference! It stopped w/minimal effort. When you really hit-em, tires would screech.

First thing I did when I got "my toy" was to do the same. I'll give ya, its not 4 drums but I just didn't feel comfortable. My booster was bad, lines looked worse. It did cost a few bucks but I have no problems in Chicago area stop/go/highway (or should I say speedway) traffic.

Start w/the easy stuff and go from there. The post about the fluid is a good one. Moisture also causes premature failure on parts. Play safe....don t. ......

[Longhorn Man]

Even with drums, you should not have to put alot of ass on that peadle.
Something I have actually seen on an old truck, was where the brake fluid absorbed so much humidity in the air, that there was actually portions of the lines with just water () in them.
Start with a very good inspection, and flushing the brake fluid out.

[Southpa]

Heres my experience... I used to have drums all around. I let my neighbor drive my truck once and he commented on how hard you have to press the brake pedal in order to stop. Of course, I was used to it and really didn't know the difference. Afterwards, I swapped the entire front crossmember (including susp., steering and disc brakes) Master cyl, prop. valve etc. from a 71. The only thing I didn't change was the booster. Guess what?? The new brakes felt exactly the same same as the old. I then installed a new brake booster (3/4 ton) and that made a HUGE difference. Hardly need any pedal pressure to stop the truck now.