I am in no way discounting the benifits of disc brakes (wish I had 'em) but I think drum brakes often get a bum wrap because the technology has been around a while. Big trucks have been using drums at highway speeds for a long time. I think where the problem lies is that so often we concentrate on making our old trucks go that making them stop properly is ignored. One shouldn't just drop a new engine in a worn out old truck and be done with it. In my opinion drum brakes that are properly restored/rebuilt/adjusted (and designed to stop a truck at max gvw)should certainly be capable of safely stopping a lightly loaded truck on the way to a show going 60mph. Of course the suspension/steering needs to be in good condition as well.
