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

[Steve Hafner]

With all the "flack" about a truck having to be BONE STOCK to be stock. How many of you drive your long wheelbase truck REGULARLY with a V8 and non-power, drum brakes ? I realize the six's would probably stop a little better with them, but my LWB 70 C-10 350CID - 350Transmission - didn't stop well at all, even with new parts and turned drums. It took two men and a boy pushing the pedal to get it to stop one time, going down a steep hill when a car pulled out in front of me. I'm curious to know if there are still a lot of us driving around this way.

[BluTrukker]

Still have the stock setup on my 68. All new parts except for the MC. Takes a little leg strength, but stops fine. Never had do do a panic stop though.

[mpotts64]

All stock here, rebuilt all wheels and a new mc, it works fine

[68panelman]

My 68 panel has power nothing, but stops very well. The 70' k5 has no power drum with 35's, that one i do have to sometimes stand on that pedal when i encounter a-holes that pull out at last minute.

[hounddogs!]

327 C-20 with manual drums, but the shoes, wheel cylinders and hard lines have all been replaced. No issues \knocking on wood\.

I do have a PDB front end that's waiting for its turn in line though....

[oldblue1968chevy]

i rode liket that for ahwile,then went PB and eventually pwdscb

[Lippyp]

Yep, never really had a problem stopping, well at least not the first time but they do fade on repeated use. I'm about to go power though to at least save my legs.

[68gmsee]

On my 68 with original brakes shoes I used manual brakes until I replaced the brake shoes last month. I did a complete brake job. New shoes, brake rubber line hoses, cylinders and had the drums turned. My brake power went downhill.

New brake materials are not what they used to be because of environmental factors so I had to install a power brake booster. My legs are not as strong as they used to be.

[tankerchief]

I had do change out all the shoes, wheel cylinders, soft lines and master cylinder. Bubba truck stops way better now. The rear brake hose was completly blocked. No telling how long the PO was driving with no rear brakes. I drove a month that way.

[Stricklinator]

My 69 c20 is all stock with a couple of new hard lines (rusted out) and all new rubber hoses (rotten). It stops very well (maybe 3/4 tons have bigger drums?) I do plan on adding a booster once I find the linkage and rod parts that connect to the brake pedal (the booster I bought is missing that stuff). The only problem for me is the amount of pedal force needed without power.

Paul
Posted via Mobile Device

[bollybib]

69 C20 no power brakes here, too. The pedal takes some leg effort but stopping is fine for the way I drive (like an old person in an old truck haha). A booster wouldn't hurt, someday maybe.

[wwotr]

Originally Posted by Steve Hafner

With all the "flack" about a truck having to be BONE STOCK to be stock. How many of you drive your long wheelbase truck REGULARLY with a V8 and non-power, drum brakes ? I realize the six's would probably stop a little better with them, but my LWB 70 C-10 350CID - 350Transmission - didn't stop well at all, even with new parts and turned drums. It took two men and a boy pushing the pedal to get it to stop one time, going down a steep hill when a car pulled out in front of me. I'm curious to know if there are still a lot of us driving around this way.

I had all Drum Brakes and standard steering in my 67 C-10.
I dropped a GM ZZ383/425 HP Crate engine into it.
The day the swap was completed, I drove it home, 50 miles over 3 sets of Mountains.
The last Mountain, has a downhill grade with a Stop Sign (not light),
at the bottom of the Hill, that commute Traffic backs up in.
So here I am with an all stock Brake system, running 425 HP in stop-n-go traffic on a downhill, slope ridding the Brakes. Wasnt fun.

[cam.man67]

Right here, Manual steering, brakes, tranny--the whole 9!

[68gmsee]

Originally Posted by bollybib

.......like an old person in an old truck haha.... A booster wouldn't hurt, someday maybe.

Hey, us old timers resemble that! My wife tells me I'm beginning to drive too slow and I ask her, "what's the hurry?"

If we're lucky, we all will get like those short folks in Florida...

[GCncsuHD]

Not me, but when I first met my wife, my father in law was still daily driving a 68 Ford F-100 with a 390, no power brakes and no power steering. This was 6 years ago, now he has a 2002 Silverado. He just repainted the 68 F-100 and is reassembling it for my brother in law's first truck (he's 16), it's getting power brakes before he starts driving it, but it will still be manual steering.

With that said, everyone be on the look out for a 6' tall blonde haired 16 year old kid behind the wheel of a freshly painted blue/white 68 F-100

[Longhorn Man]

big block caddy in my one ton, non power brakes, and I think I hooked the rod to the power brake hols on the pedal, less leverage that way (stupid mistake I never got around to fixing) and then on the steering, I got sick of filling the power steering every couple days so I am now steering through a bum pump. *NOT FUN*
On the brakes though... the 20 and 30 series trucks have MUCH better brakes than the little brakes on the 10 series trucks. Mine are twice as wide as a C/10's brakes.

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by 68gmsee

Hey, us old timers resemble that! My wife tells me I'm beginning to drive too slow and I ask her, "what's the hurry?"

If we're lucky, we all will get like those short folks in Florida...

@ resemble

[1968CHEVYC10]

Yep manual everything, I replaced all the lines, shoes, springs. Everything but the MC which was only a few years old anyway. Never thought much about the weight difference in motors, mine had a 350 but I'm in the process of swapping in a 6.2 diesel, supposed to be similar in weight to a BB. We'll have to see how the brakes do, don't plan on goin power few a few years at least.

[RichardJ]

>>I realize the six's would probably stop a little better with them, <<

Six cylinder with drum brakes isn't going to be that much different. You're only talking about a 100 lb difference and not noticable on a 4,600 lb C-20.

You guys are kidding yourselves.

The change to disc brakes did make a difference, but a notable difference with a load.

Driving down the road with power steering is probably not any different. These trucks don't have a great turning radius and arm wrestling that 24" (?) wheel to get into or out of a tight parking space can't be something you enjoy. You look like your wrestling a bear trying to back a trailer into a narrow curved drive.

I have added things to my '67 a little bit at a time over the years. The 3 spd column to Sm465 was a good improvement, but mostly when moving something heavy. No more locking up the column shifter and a floor shift is just simply more natural.

Put AC in and then you can really enjoy the drive.
It's the same old beat up truck, just more enjoyable.

[frednoah]

I actually converted from power drums to manual. The motor made squat for vacuum and the pedal would about hit the floor before getting rock hard and stopping things.

Rebuilt all 4 wheels, new manual master, made my own pedal pushrod. Bled the snot out of the brakes, but still wasn't 100% pleased. Replaced the rubber hose at the rear, and rebled. Made a world of difference.

I regularly drive in rush hour traffic, do 70+ on the interstate, and putt around to the stores in town. Brakes work as well as any other classic I've had(all pb vehicles from 65-72), just a little more leg to work the pedal.

[yuccales]

Heck yeah! I got power nothing! Did a complete brake job, with hoses also, couple years back and she still stops just fine. HOWEVER........when I get into my Duramax or my wifes Malibu after driving the Chevy, I'll darn near put you through the windshield. Power brakes do have their place in the world.

[oldgold70c10]

Power steering, manual drums here. I rebuild the brakes back in 2006, didn't have the drums turned though. Still works just fine. I've been pleased enough with the performance to keep them that way.

[cam.man67]

The only time I've ever even considered going to power discs was about three months ago, I was doing about 50 in a 45 on a slight turn with about 600lbs of sand in the bed. Halfway into this turn, one of the big county plow trucks plows through a stop sign across my lane onto the other side. I lock 'em all up and jerk the wheel sideways to avoid ramming right into him. I guess in retrospect, if the same thing would have happened with power brakes, I might have been able to stop quicker and avoid having to swerve. But who knows?

[8.1PWR]

My 70 C20 no power brakes and has drums all around. I definately don't tailgate with it.

[unreconstructed1]

I've personally never understood the whole OCD "keeping it stock" thing myself. both my 67 and my 69 still have manual brakes/ steering, but that's just because I haven't gotten around to changing them. whenever I get the opportunity, my 67 is going to 4 wheel disc power brakes and power steering, of course I'm also relocating the gas tank , putting in later model buckets and a console, and cutting my dash for an AM/FM CD MP3 stereo. personally, I like the idea of modern comfort and driveability in a classic package.