I have a high miles 98Ram 2wd (278k miles), the brake line to the rear rotted through behind the fuel tank, so I replaced ALL the hard lines from mid cab rearward to the cyls and also replaced the cyls as well since they were the originals and new brakes as well. Moving up to the front, replaced the cals cuz one side was grabbing, yes, they were original as well, new hoses and pads and completely refilled the system with new fluid. For a long while BEFORE the brake line rotted through, it just didn't stop very well, felt like it had a decent pedal, but a panic stop was just out of the question, safe for normal driving, but I wouldn't have wanted to depend on a sudden need to stop. Now, after all this, it feels as though its got a good, firm pedal and it stops straight now, but it still doesn't stop very well, I mean if I needed to stop quick, and I'm not sure why. Bled and rebled the brakes, but still not real good. My question is this, the truck also retains the OE booster, could this be whats keeping it from stopping well, and if so, how would I check that? Or maybe the master cyl, which is also OE? Thanks.

It is possible the booster or master have seen better days, but if you have a good solid pedal, I think I'd be looking at the brackets the calipers mount onto. To function correctly, the calipers have to "float" or move freely. Often with miles, the surfaces the pads/calipers ride on become worn and create a dip or pocket where the pads/caliper tends to rest. The system has enough hydraulic pressure to over come the dip/pocket, but it slows the reaction time down and could cause the pads to not fully make contact with the rotor, resulting in less then optimum performance.
The fix might be as simple as replacing some hardware or it may involve building up a surface with weld, then filing/grinding it back down flat.
I'd look at the caliper mounting points for wear. Gene

My '99 had horrible stopping power until I changed the pads to a different brand, then it was excellent.

Did you do anything to the rotors? I suspect they just need to bed in. Read this: http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=85
I was puzzled by a similar experience when I changed the pads/rotors on my 2000 Ram. Took a couple hundred miles to get good.

Yes, the rotors were turned, everything is fresh. Thanks for the link and thanks poorboy and gss for your input, wont dismiss any possibility yet.