My 71 brakes seem to need more pressure to stop. And now the break light comes on when I push real hard. I dont recall 71s having a break worning system. The pads look fine. Any Ideas?

I just did brake work on a 77; (see the post "77 brakes failed"), the light was on until I bled the system.

I would be suspicious of the power brake booster except for the brake light coming on.  The brake light comes on when the front and rear systems are not each carrying their fair share of the braking load.  First check for leaks at the wheels and hoses, and make sure both halves of the master cylinder are full.  The master cylinder is really two master cylinder in one casting, and I would suspect one half of it is not up to par.

Good luck
Larry