Well I think the problem all along was my anticipation that I would have a pedal feel that is "normal". This setup from Dave @ Hollister performs very well at stopping the truck, but the pedal feel will deceive you at first. When you push the pedal, the brakes start engaging very early and gradually. Its like you have a very wide range of braking pressure due to the long pedal travel in our trucks. It is not touchy at all, if you want to slow 5 mph you just push the pedal about 1.5"! If you need to stop hard you can do that too. Its way different than anything I've ever experienced.

Thank you also to HotrodLincoln Jerry for telling me how to set up a vacuum canister, and everyone with feedback.

1953 GMC 1-Ton Pickup with 350 and 700R4