If I could track down all the parts I would put my 72 back to the collumn. As far as the drums had an 80 van and 84 foxbody that had discs up front and my 72 pickup stops better than they ever did.
It's simple really....and I can tell you get it. You just don't push the boundries with drum brakes. You don't put yourself in a position to have to make a long hard braking stop. Then they can fade. They were never made to stop on a dime and give you 5 cents change.