I think I would check to be sure the calipers can float on the mounting brackets like they are suppose to. As this stuff is getting older, the hard parts are showing up with wear we have not had to look at before. For instance, if the ears the front pad sit on have a little dip in them, the pads get hung up in the dip and won't move freely like they should. The result is poor brakes.

The same deal with the drum backing plates. The little raised pads the brake shoes sit against are suppose to be flat and smooth. Any roughness or wear will hang up the shoes from moving like they are suppose to, resulting in poor brakes.

I'm seeing a lot more brake issues then we ever saw before. I'm sure some of those issues are related to the off shore parts we seem to be stuck with, but a lot of issues are with older vehicles. I suspect we are beginning to see the always reused brackets and backing plates that are beginning to have wear we have never had to look at in the past.

The last Dakota I did (91 model year) had groves where the front brake pads sat that I ground clean, welded back up and sanded smooth, and the rear drum backing plated had groves where the shoes sat. I also ground them off, welded them up and ground them flat. The brakes on that Dakota are the best they have been since I've owned the truck.

Dodge put that truck together in 77 and I suspect the brakes were fine then. If the parts you have put on are functioning (holding fluid and have a solid pedal), its time to look at what else may need to be fixed before you start swapping out masters that may or may not overcome the worn parts. Gene