camper worry
 

I have a 1966 Custom Camper brakes are original. No modification not power brakes either. I want to put a camper on it. Cant find a good one for single cab. Anyway I'm very worried about stopping going down hills especially with a camper. It has a 400 turbo transmission. Any Suggestions?

Re: camper worry
 

1/2T, 3/4T? Either way the brakes should be sufficient unless you overload the truck. These folks http://belairshells.com/ aren't too far from you. They can get an old school sort of camper shell. It's where I bought the one in my avatar.

Re: camper worry
 

You can never go wrong with an upgrade to improve the braking capabilities of your vehicle, camper or not. It's not only about how loaded or overloaded the vehicle is but also avoiding other vehicles, distracted drivers, unpredictable situations etc. There are many options and vendors to choose from, the investment and time to upgrade pays for itself in making your vehicle safer for you, your occupants and others on the road.

Re: camper worry
 

^ Every bit of that is true. There are plenty of threads detailing the installation of front disc brakes, which are well worth the trouble.

Re: camper worry
 

I have a 66 C 20 that I haul a 66 Avion camper on. I rebuilt all wheel cylinders, brake lines and new shoes and brake hardware plus a dual chamber master cyl. I'm thinking your truck is a 3/4 ton being a custom camper. The brakes are pretty big compared to a 1/2 ton. My truck stops fine but I also don't drive much on the interstate or in big cities. People DO drive crazy nowdays!! The Avion weighs about 2000#

Re: camper worry
 

Late 70's C20 discs are pretty much a bolt on. Hardest part is custom bending the lines for the dual master cylinder. That said, the stock drums in the 3/4 tons are pretty big. In all my decades of driving these old trucks heavily loaded, the only times I really noticed the discs was if brakes were really wet, like after a creek crossing, otherwise no real difference. Of course if you learn to drive with drums you learn really quick not to ride the brakes on a hill or tail gate. You may even notice the truck stopping better with some weight in back. Those 3/4 ton rears are so big they tend to lock up if the bed is empty, so rear brakes are wasted.
I would do a high quality complete brake job, including radiusing the shoes to fit the drums, which makes a huge difference. Then put on the camper and see how she stops, you may be pleasantly surprised.
Good luck
Tom

Re: camper worry
 

I had a 1965 9' camper on my 65 3/4 ton for years. Brakes were fine, just give yourself a bit more room. I later installed a factory brake booster and the power brakes were great. I would advise if you get a used booster, have it rebuilt. I've used Booster Dewey, at Power Brake Booster Exchange in Oregon several times.