Drum Brakes vs Disc Brakes

[rdhowe2006@yahoo.com]

1970 Chevy C-10 LWB Step Side PU

I have drum brakes all the way around. Does anyone still have drum brakes all the way around or does most change to disc brakes? Is it difficult to change to disc brakes?

[mctattooer]

Originally Posted by rdhowe2006@yahoo.com

1970 Chevy C-10 LWB Step Side PU

I have drum brakes all the way around. Does anyone still have drum brakes all the way around or does most change to disc brakes? Is it difficult to change to disc brakes?

I still have 4 wheel drum, does ok but going big block so i may need to upgrade

[Stoli]

Four wheel drums on mine.

[Gmc.guy]

I have 4 wheel drums on my 69. I actually bought a 71 for all the parts to switch over but everything worked well and was like new inside. I bought new hoses and cylinders and good to go. They work way better than I expected I put the brake booster on it and the only difference is that I can lock the fronts up faster. I cannot get them to fade with heat in city driving like some say. I'd say wear it out or see how it works for you then change them out if you don't like it. I was going to switch out all to 5 lug and go. But you can buy rotor kits to keep 6 lug wheels

[saxart]

I'd say it depends on your driving habits. Are you going to be towing a lot of heavy loads? Switch to disks. Are you going to be driving on lots of hilly/mountainous roads? Switch to disks. Lots of stop and go driving, switch to disks. If you're not going to be doing any of that, then just leave it as is. Drum brakes, when working properly, work fine.

I'm actually in the process of doing an entire 4-wheel brake replacement on my '70 long-bed, and am replacing the drums with all new parts rather than swapping to disks. Drums work!

[lolife99]

GM decided 45 years ago to switch to disc brakes.
I'll never understand why people are so resistant to the improved upgrade in braking.
Just my opinion,...

[Stocker]

This subject always seems to turn into a can of worms. Everyone is right, and everyone else is wrong.

My take: Yes, drum brakes can be made to work well, but discs nearly always work better, especially in more extreme braking situations.

Another thing is ease of service -- I would rather change a set of pads than a set of shoes any day, hands down, no contest.

Just my 2 cents. YMMV but if your opinion is different than mine.... you are wrong. See above.

[Freddo]

I looked really hard at changing out the drums on my 67 to disks. I looked at finding donor parts off of a newer truck but that seemed to open a whole set of issues that I didn't want to tackle as well as installing 40 year old parts on a critical system like brakes. The new spindle/disk kits seemed like the way to go as far as converting to disk, but it looked to me like it was going to cost close to $1,000 using a kit by the time ALL of the variables were taken into account. (This was almost 3 years ago, prices may have changed since...I haven't checked.) There were so many things my truck needed to make it roadworthy that my budget required me to stay with the drums. I spent about $300 at Rockauto & got all new shoes, all springs & hardware, wheel cylinders, & front & rear rubber hoses. My brakes were in terrible shape before I rebuilt them, and I am delighted with how much better they are now. I have hauled some very heavy loads of dirt & gravel & even pulled a 'do it yourself' 1.5 yard concrete trailer which was heavier than I had any business towing. Most of my driving is just leisurely cruising and the drums have been very adequate. Having said that, the old saying 'you get what you pay for' certainly applies here. If my old truck was going to be my daily driver, I was regularly towing or I could have had it work budget-wise at the time, I would love to have the disks. I am happy with the drums knowing that the new heater core, u-joints, radiator & additional items that my savings on the drums made possible was a good bet for me at the time. Your mileage may vary.

[69chevytrucker]

i took the front i off a 84 silverado bolted it right up to my 69 c10 no trouble at all and used the prop valve and brake booster too.

[bonnieclyde100]

one of the biggest problems with drums is under hard breaking they don't lock up at the same time always which can make you lose control

[rdhowe2006@yahoo.com]

Great information guys. Thanks for all the replies. I am just going to use my truck for leisurely driving. I understand that I will have to adjust the brakes from time to time. I think I will leave it as is and just keep an eye on the adjustment.

[Stocker]

That sounds like a good plan for you, and if you ever feel the need in the future, you can convert to front discs at that time.

[old51sedan]

I just bought a 69 pickup a few weeks ago. I was surprised at how well my truck stops with the disks ( It also has power brakes). That being said I would still like to lower it and install a set of original rally wheels that I have which are 5 lug. I believe if I install drop spindles, disk brake kit, lowering blocks in the back, then I still have to install a newer brake booster. I'm thinking I will probably be looking at around a grand, but it will all be new, have a different look, and can get in it easier, I'm almost 75 now.

[rsgt]

Drums can't be all that bad. Almost all of the big 18 wheelers going down the highways have drums all around.

[68Gold/white]

Originally Posted by rsgt

Drums can't be all that bad. Almost all of the big 18 wheelers going down the highways have drums all around.

Probably not much longer. The new air disc brakes are better, easier to work on!

Not knocking anyone here, for any reason...

If you have to ask about how folks feel about brakes, drum vs. disc, you've likely not driven many miles w/ all wheel drum brakes.

You've never had them scare you after repeated hard panic stops, never driven through water, and have the dad gum steering wheel nearly jerk out of your hand because one side got wet and the other didn't...

The biggest problem w/ drums is when some butthead cuts you off in traffic, and you don't have that safe distance to stop you were planning on using before you got cut off, LOL plus all the bad words you may use in the process.

I have a 67 and 68, neither of which are currently roadworthy, when they do hit the pavement they will both have stock type front disc brakes(convert to 5 lugs).
Rear disc is nice, but not really needed....all my opinion and experiences...

[In The Ten Ring]

Originally Posted by Stocker

This subject always seems to turn into a can of worms. Everyone is right, and everyone else is wrong.

My take: Yes, drum brakes can be made to work well, but discs nearly always work better, especially in more extreme braking situations.

Another thing is ease of service -- I would rather change a set of pads than a set of shoes any day, hands down, no contest.

Just my 2 cents. YMMV but if your opinion is different than mine.... you are wrong. See above.

Actually, it's much worse than that. They are not only wrong they are evil and need to be arrested for hurting my feelings when they disagreed with me.

Now if anyone needs me, I'll be in my safe space cuddling my blanket.

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by 68Gold/white

If you have to ask about how folks feel about brakes, drum vs. disc, you've likely not driven many miles w/ all wheel drum brakes.

You've never had them scare you after repeated hard panic stops, never driven through water, and have the dad gum steering wheel nearly jerk out of your hand because one side got wet and the other didn't...

The biggest problem w/ drums is when some butthead cuts you off in traffic, and you don't have that safe distance to stop you were planning on using before you got cut off, LOL plus all the bad words you may use in the process.

Agreed, and I'll add mountain driving which may be more common out west. Long steep downhill grades can be a bit much for all-drum systems. Makes 'em smell funny and not work so well. Not just passenger vehicles, it also applies to big rigs if they forget to gear down enough.

[CastIron]

Originally Posted by 68Gold/white

Probably not much longer. The new air disc brakes are better, easier to work on!

Not knocking anyone here, for any reason...

If you have to ask about how folks feel about brakes, drum vs. disc, you've likely not driven many miles w/ all wheel drum brakes.

You've never had them scare you after repeated hard panic stops, never driven through water, and have the dad gum steering wheel nearly jerk out of your hand because one side got wet and the other didn't...

The biggest problem w/ drums is when some butthead cuts you off in traffic, and you don't have that safe distance to stop you were planning on using before you got cut off, LOL plus all the bad words you may use in the process.

I have a 67 and 68, neither of which are currently roadworthy, when they do hit the pavement they will both have stock type front disc brakes(convert to 5 lugs).
Rear disc is nice, but not really needed....all my opinion and experiences...

I agree with this. I plan to upgrade my '69 with some front discs at some point. It's pretty scary driving down long, steep hills with manual drums.

[rdhowe2006@yahoo.com]

Thanks for all the opinions on this subject. I will at some point and time change over to the front disc brakes. Just starting to get the truck back to highway ready. Its a slow process and expensive. But I don't want to let the old truck just set because that will only make things worse.

[rdhowe2006@yahoo.com]

How often do you have to adjust drum brakes?

[FirstOwner69]

Originally Posted by rdhowe2006@yahoo.com

How often do you have to adjust drum brakes?

After initial adjustment, they are self adjusting assuming they are in proper working order. They adjust as needed when you put the brakes on with the truck in reverse, but you may want to do an infrequent manual adjustment.

I still have 4 wheel drums on my 69 3/4 ton. The mechanic at the shop that did my body work said "Who needs discs" when he aggressively drove my truck. I have the entire front suspension from a 72 to install, but I doubt I need it given the way my truck will be used. As I see it, the main advantage of discs is the elimination of fade when the brakes are very hot or wet from driving through standing water. Discs are better, but drums are OK if you learn to use them properly. They are not dangerous.

[70STOVEBOLT]

Not all systems are self adjusting. My 70 does not have self adjusters. I adjust them a couple times a year.

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by lolife99

GM decided 45 years ago to switch to disc brakes.
I'll never understand why people are so resistant to the improved upgrade in braking.
Just my opinion,...

Probably for the same reasons our grandfathers used to grumble about how you can't pour fresh babbit into your main & rod bearings anymore....

[kwmech]

My 68 GMC 3/4 ton still has the drums on all 4. They work great, I don't overload the truck like I used to, but even then it always stopped just fine. Never have to re-adjust, has self adjusters that haven't rusted shut yet. Only on it's second brake job since 68

[El Dorado Jim]

switch to disc brakes if you plan on keeping the truck, they do a better job of braking when hot and when drum brakes get wet they tend to pull you to the right or left when braking, until they dry out, disc brakes have been used on vehicles since the 60's....and are also on the rear now on alot of vehicles also