Still riding around with non-power, all drum brakes ?

[bobs409]

My 69 stepside still has all 4 drums and no power. I've been daily driving it since 1997 and never had a problem with it. I don't find it hard to stop at all but I don't have any of the wussy new cars to spoil me, I only drive real cars/trucks. Ha Ha.

I picked up a power booster about 6 months ago but it's still on the garage floor. Might put that in someday...

[Steve Hafner]

Originally Posted by bobs409

My 69 stepside still has all 4 drums and no power. I've been daily driving it since 1997 and never had a problem with it. I don't find it hard to stop at all but I don't have any of the wussy new cars to spoil me, I only drive real cars/trucks. Ha Ha.

I picked up a power booster about 6 months ago but it's still on the garage floor. Might put that in someday...

You'll see a difference when you install that booster !!!

[bobs409]

I don't know, I have fairly strong legs.

[PatrickGMC70]

4 wheel drums, no power for me. I've never had any issues, but I don't drive it daily or over large grades, and the heaviest thing I've had in the bed is my Christmas tree.

I did replace the shoes, a burst rear hardline, and the front rubber hoses.

[ls1nova71]

Originally Posted by unreconstructed1

I've personally never understood the whole OCD "keeping it stock" thing myself..... .....personally, I like the idea of modern comfort and driveability in a classic package.

I agree, I want my truck to stop faster than the moron in front of me in the Kia or Hyundai texting and completely not paying any attention to whats going on in front of them. It's hydroboosted discs for me!

[JCD]

I've noticed no one has mentioned anything about water..

My 65 Corvair is 4 wheel drums, and so is my 69 El Camino.. and even with the lighter weight of the Corvair.. going through a puddle or crossing any deep water during the California rainy season.. these brakes almost fail completely the first try..

It takes a lot of pressure, and several pushes before they'll stop the cars.

J.

[slomotion]

I'm still running the original drums all around, and have always used the transmission and engine to help the brakes because the brakes do fade pretty quickly. I replaced the shoes, and had the drums turned when I got the truck eight years ago. I now have a booster to install, but I want to change all of the lines from the master cylinder right down to the wheel cylinders first. I suspect the hoses may have been changed in the trucks 43 year history, but I'm convinced the hard lines are original. The last thing I want to do is burst a line/hose with the extra pressure.

[frednoah]

Originally Posted by unreconstructed1

I've personally never understood the whole OCD "keeping it stock" thing myself.

Mine aren't manual drums because that was stock. It is because it was the most cost effective way to safely put the truck on the road. If I ever get to feeling that the drums aren't safe enough to be driving with, I'll convert to discs.

Originally Posted by ls1nova71

I agree, I want my truck to stop faster than the moron in front of me in the Kia or Hyundai texting and completely not paying any attention to whats going on in front of them. It's hydroboosted discs for me!

If you keep a proper following distance and pay attention to your surroundings while you're driving, drum brakes are not an issue. If you want to tailgate the car in front of you at speed on the interstate, you better have one helluva big set of discs to woah up one of these trucks if the Kia in front of you slams on brakes.

[bollybib]

The days of leaving one car length per 10 mph of speed between your vehicle and the one in front of you are long gone. These trucks were of that era and one must compensate in today's traffic with their driving skills or their upgraded equipment (or both).

I can't stop so gud, gimme a brake, man

Jim

[RichardJ]

>>The days of leaving one car length per 10 mph of speed between your vehicle and the one in front of you are long gone.<<

No one changed the law, it's just that no one is enforcing it. It's called tailgating.If I am going the speed limit or above the speed limit, DO NOT expect me to tailgate the guy in front of me. EXPECT a windshield full of brakelights.

Fast drivers that tailgate cause slow traffic, not slow drivers.

[oldgold70c10]

Originally Posted by RichardJ

>>The days of leaving one car length per 10 mph of speed between your vehicle and the one in front of you are long gone.<<

No one changed the law, it's just that no one is enforcing it. It's called tailgating.If I am going the speed limit or above the speed limit, DO NOT expect me to tailgate the guy in front of me. EXPECT a windshield full of brakelights.

Fast drivers that tailgate cause slow traffic, not slow drivers.

THANK YOU! I really can't stand those people who need to tailgate. It seems most tailgaters are those in late model pickups, and I've seen many swerve in my rear view mirror when I give them a "warning" brake application, so I can't see drums vs disc as an issue, just driving style.

[ls1nova71]

Originally Posted by frednoah

If you keep a proper following distance and pay attention to your surroundings while you're driving, drum brakes are not an issue. If you want to tailgate the car in front of you at speed on the interstate, you better have one helluva big set of discs to woah up one of these trucks if the Kia in front of you slams on brakes.

I'm not talking about tailgating, but when someone in a new car that has the latest technology in brakes, is driving and not paying attention to where they're going, sometimes they don't even need a reason to slam on their brakes, they may just think they saw something in front of them, and if you're driving a 4000 plus pound truck with what ammounts to 60 year old technology brakes, it's just not a fair battle. And it's always the guy in the rear that gets screwed.

[PatrickGMC70]

Originally Posted by ls1nova71

And it's always the guy in the rear that gets screwed.

Better than the other way around

[unreconstructed1]

Originally Posted by frednoah

Mine aren't manual drums because that was stock. It is because it was the most cost effective way to safely put the truck on the road.

I never said that there was anything wrong with manual drums, my 67 still has them for now. What I'm talking about is the folks that act like modifying a truck is a mortal sin. Some folks take it a little overboard. That's why any time you see a thread about the best way to do this or that there is always the ones whose answer is "don't".
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[bollybib]

like ls1nova71 said.

That's what I was getting at in my Post #34.

Have a nice day.

Jim

[bigsnookmaster]

4 wheel discs for me, and I will never have anything but that on an old truck! With all the negative I've heard on this site about putting used seatbelts in our trucks, if you have real good brakes, that takes alot of the problems out of the picture. I'm not slamming anyone, and I love this site, but if you care about yourself, and your loved ones, upgrade your brakes when you can.You will never regret it! .02

[RenoKeene]

Originally Posted by bigsnookmaster

4 wheel discs for me, and I will never have anything but that on an old truck! With all the negative I've heard on this site about putting used seatbelts in our trucks, if you have real good brakes, that takes alot of the problems out of the picture. I'm not slamming anyone, and I love this site, but if you care about yourself, and your loved ones, upgrade your brakes when you can.You will never regret it! .02

I'm with greg on this one, disks for me too.
I've had the Princess on the cell phone pull right out in front of me in my 70 GMC more than once. If I would have been driving my 67 c20 Slant Back they would have been hood ornaments!

[steelhorse]

I walked into the scrapyard and walked out with a complete disc brake setup from an 87 C10 for $40.The guy had been driving it 3 days before when the engine went out.I got everything from the brake hoses out and took the outer tie rods.It took me a couple of hours to have them in and align it.Probably the best $40 I have spent in a while.Dont forget new ball joints though.

[GRX]

Well said about having to drive drums differently. Pulsating to help prevent heat fade ... riding the brakes in the rain to dry them after running through a puddle ... all essential skills lost to modern auto owners.

Having said that, I have no trouble stopping my heavy long bed stepper with manual drum all around. But I'm used to it. And I spent the time to rebuild my entire braking system, home-made steel lines & all. Have had rusty steel lines blow during panic stop in a couple muscle cars years ago. No chances any more. Stopping is good!!

[BluTrukker]

I guess I need to update from my earlier post. Sunday night my wife and I went to a graduation and decided to take the 68, since it was mostly paved back roads to get there. not 5 miles from my house we top a small hill and there is some idiots in a honda PARKED in the middle of our lane looking at some cows out in a field (that is the only reason I could come up with). There was a car coming in the other lane, so I had to stand on the binders. Locked all 4 wheels and got stopped just in time. I guess when they heard all the tire screeching and smoke they figured maybe they had better get moving, cause they put it in gear and took off. So I can now say I have done a panic stop with 4 wheel drums. I don't know if disk would have helped or not, once the tires are locked, disks couldn't lock them up any tighter. The moral of the story is this: If you want to sit in your car and stare at cows like they are some mythical creature, please pull on to the shoulder!

[Steve Hafner]

Originally Posted by BluTrukker

I guess I need to update from my earlier post. Sunday night my wife and I went to a graduation and decided to take the 68, since it was mostly paved back roads to get there. not 5 miles from my house we top a small hill and there is some idiots in a honda PARKED in the middle of our lane looking at some cows out in a field (that is the only reason I could come up with). There was a car coming in the other lane, so I had to stand on the binders. Locked all 4 wheels and got stopped just in time. I guess when they heard all the tire screeching and smoke they figured maybe they had better get moving, cause they put it in gear and took off. So I can now say I have done a panic stop with 4 wheel drums. I don't know if disk would have helped or not, once the tires are locked, disks couldn't lock them up any tighter. The moral of the story is this: If you want to sit in your car and stare at cows like they are some mythical creature, please pull on to the shoulder!

It would have stopped in the same distance with the front "disc's" locked up too - but it would have taken LESS EFFORT to push the pedal down !!! :-)

[JJorgensen52]

I drove my truck about 4k with non power brakes, but I regularly haul fairly heavy loads and the first time I got cut off in traffic with 1500lbs behind me I put power brakes at the top of my list. A C10 with bigger tires can't even lock up the wheels with manual brakes. I have a 3/4T booster now and it stops like a champ - front discs next up on my list.