no brakes
 

I bought a 1951 Ford F600 dumptruck everything checks out but the brakes. I have to pump them at least twice before i get any pedal and then the brakes work great. we have bled the brakes but it didn't help. Can anyone help get me started in the right direction?

I'd look at adjusting the brake shoes out some more and if they are already adjusted properly then I'd look at getting a new master cylinder.

thanks for the info
 

You were right, my mechanic tried to adjust the back brakes and we found we need new shoes. this is a 2 ton truck so nobody carries a shoe for a 20 inch wheel that is 60 years old. I'm hoping that i can get them relined. thanks for your help

Linnings should be no problem. You have to go by lenght, width, no. of rivits
dont tell em what its for (could be for a fork lift or something) not important
for a real brake supply place.

sounds like you should be doing all four corners. linings do, and will, become brittle and dry over time. just because they have a nice thick lining that looks ok--doe not mean they are good.

Making sure that beast will stop before you worry about other things is an excellent plan . You can get your old shoes relined at a brake and clutch rebuilder in your area if you cant find anything off the shelf .