'76 F100 with 32s (if I remember correctly).

My rears lock all too easily (the right slightly more than the left). I actually caused a 4-car smash & dent last spring when some jackass pulled out in front of me, I hit the brakes hard, locked, and skidded all over the road.

I wiped out three cars and drove away with a dented front fender and slightly bent bumper.

 

WOuld you guys say the 1 ton upgrade is a big difference? I have about 250 miles on my stock replacement booster and m/c but I would be willing to swap out these units for 1 ton if it's a noticable differenc.

Also: my truck is a 79...do I just order a m/c and booster for a 79 F350? Is this a bolt-in swap?

 

Vs. a single diaphragm? Yes. My new crew cab (78) has a single diaphragm and 235s on it, and it takes more effort to brake than the stuff I listed and 36s.

 

was this braking issue ever solved? My 78 bronco only has 33-12.50's on it and it doesn't stop well at all. I've rebuilt the rear drums, checked the front pads and roters, new booster and mc and still have poor braking. it stops ok if you don't need to stop in a hurry, but if someone stops short in front of you, or if you are towing anything, the brakes just are not good enough. Also, will the 1 ton booster bolt in the stock location of the 1/2 ton?

 

Year-to-year, yes. The older trucks were a straight through booster rod, but newer use a linkage. You can just get the upgraded one from an auto parts store for your year. I can tell you that the difference is night and day.

 

Sounds like the same problem as me.

Right now I've been busy playing around at the county fair truck pulls so I've been more concerned with "go" than "slow".

I read someone say something about pulling a pin on the proportioning valve as their could possibly be air stuck in there...I need to research it first and if that proves futile, I'll upgrade to the 1-ton stuff...I suppose it's possible my POS remmaned m/c could be at fault too....

 

If you guys' trucks are THAT scary, then yeah, possibly a bad bleed job is to blame. I used a vacuum bleeder on mine and bled the snot out of it. When I was done, my brakes were more firm than most new cars. If you aren't there, I would only spend money on a bottle of brake fluid at this point.

 

this is a common thing on these old trucks. i've got the same issue on mine and am swapping out to the dual diaphram booster. every last inch of brakes is brand new, with in 3000 miles, and my brakes suck. i've bled my brakes 3 tims and i know i have zero air in them. i've got a tiny 73 booster on mine and i know thats too blame. i have to stand on them to stop the truck and i dont like that.

 

I just finished bleeding mine again, this time with the pin pulled forward on the proportioning valve. I still didn't get anymore air out though. Mine are not what I'd call SCARY during normal driving. It's just when I stand on them, they don't really stop any sooner than casual braking. Now towing could get a little scary if I had to stop in a hurry. This isn't my daily driver, so I can deal with it to a point but I would like to be able to tow my boat with it. Will try to find a 1 ton booster at a scrap yard to try it. I hate to buy a new one after just buying a stock one so recently. Thanks for all the advice and anymore to come.

 

Yep...identical issue with mine....casual driving, hit the brakes, I slow down. Emergency stopping, hit the brakes.....no different than casual braking....forget towing IMO.

I ordered a 1 ton m/c and booster yesterday and I'm installing it today. I will let you know the results.

WHere is the pin on the proportion valve?

 

Hawk only makes them for a half ton truck. Bear Brakes makes them for our 8-lug trucks though, they are about $85 for the set. I did that along with cross drilled Power Stop rotors and it dosent quite lock up, but you can tell it gets close. Thats on 42" tires.