Nate.  As Aussie Bill mentions, the short shoes go to the front side.  That’s simply because most braking does occur on the front shoes and putting the short shoes to the front equalizes the forces or pressure involved so that both the shoes brake equally.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

This web illustration shows how the brakes are rigged for "self actuation". Be sure and use the "play " buttons and watch the movement.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/brakes/brake-types/drum-brake1.htm

The leading shoe provides actuation power to the trailing shoe - the reason most drum brakes work so much better in "forward" than "reverse".

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

hi Nate, have you checked to see if the shoes both contact the centering pin on top? mabey the new wheel cyl. are too long and not letting the shoes seat against the top pin. also you can just set your shoes in the drum to see if they contact the drum in the middle of the shoe or if they contact at the ends. they should contact most of the way around. on wheel brgs. i usually tighten the nut with a pair if chanellock pliers. i spin the wheel and tighten the nut till it stops the wheel. i'll do this a couple times to seat the brgs. then i back it off till the wheel spins free, if the cotter pin doesn't line up i back the nut up till it does.

 lincoln/merc. y-blocks &mel's                                                               bucyrus, ohio.

A suggestion on bench bleeding master.Take 2 short brake lines and bend them so they go back into the resovoir under the fluid level when the resovoir is filled with fluid.Work the piston back and forth slowly until no bubbles appear in the resovoir.To bleed the entire system by yourself start with longest line which should be right rear.Get a piece of rubber hose small enough to fit snug on the bleeder screw.Imerse the other end in a clean container(jar is good) with enough clean brake fluid that the hose end is in the fluid(cant suck air back in).Open the bleeder and pump brake pedal slowly several times.Helps if someone can watch container for air bubbles.4-5 pumps should do it.Make sure you keep resovoir filled.right rear,left rear,right front,left front.As you do each wheel close the bleeder.I am not sure what # brake shoes you got but my numbers are:R-263 front and B or R 55 rears.these numbers are universal industry numbers no matter who makes the shoes.As far as adjusting the shoes which you should do first-tighten the shoes until you cant turn the wheel.Dont jam it tight just enough that you cant turn it easily.Back off the adjuster 10 teeth on the adjiuster.Should put you in the ballpark.Slight drag when you turn the wheel by hand. 

  

Thanks guys for all the tips, your responses have given me a little more energy go back downtown to where I keep the car and give it another go.  I do know the shoes are tight against the top pin and I used the method the Oldcar describes for bleeding the system.  In fact, it was the first time I appreciated the rust holes in the floor board, I was able to sit in the driver's seat and lean over and watch the clear bottle for air bubbles (at least for the fronts) while I was pressing the brake.  With the rear I was able to stand outside the driver's door and stick my leg in to actuate the brakes while watching the bottle at the same time.

I had good fluid flow at each wheel, I could see the fluid level rising in the clear bottle with each stroke of the brake pedal and could see there were no bubbles.  I was really shocked after I finished bleeding to climb in the car and be able to slowly push the pedal all the way to the floor.  It isn't floppy/loose there is resistance, but not much.

Nate - Madison, Wisconsin

 

56 Ford Customline Sedan

 

Thanks Greebird, that is a great animation. I never realized the whole shoe assembly shifted like that when braking, the leading shoe actually comes off the pin!

Nate - Madison, Wisconsin

 

56 Ford Customline Sedan

 

If you can slowly push it to the floor than you have a leak as you mentioned.If you overtighten the steel brake line fittings you can damage the flare which is why it leaks.The first reaction is to tighten them real tight.Moderation is better.

  

alright, well I re-bled the MC, took out the nut, ran new brake lines to the rear hose to get ride of the drip leak at the junction of the old and new lines.

I switched the shoes around on my front drums to the shoes with less friction material is facing forward on both wheels.

I re-bled the system and still very soft pedal.

No fuild on the floor anywhere I can see.

Nate - Madison, Wisconsin

 

56 Ford Customline Sedan

 

Nate, why not try a cautious drive around your area, allowing time and distance to pull up behind traffic, only continue if it feels safe to do so, then readjust all the brakes and note if pedal pressure feels better. regards bill.

  AussieBill            YYYY    Forever Y Block     YYYY

 Down Under, Australia

Bill I'm too nervous at this point to drive, the pedal slowly goes all the way the floor.  Just like before, when I adjusted the front brakes pretty tight I did get a little more firmness at the very end (3 inches from the pedal hitting the floor) but just a little improvement. I also think one of my two new wheel cylinders might be leaking.

When I was switching the pads around to correct my mis-installation. I noticed what looks like a small amount of brake fluid running down the backing plate on the front driver's side. this is a brand new wheel cylinder, so this would be very frustrating if it is leaking but I'm afraid it might be.  Speaking of wheel cylinders what should I do with the old ones?  There was no core charge when I bought my new ones.  It seems a shame to throw this in the recycling bin.

I also need to look more closely at the rear brakes again now that I've gained so much knowledge on how these brakes are supposed to be set up.  I'm wondering if way back when I first pulled the rear drums off somehow one of the wheel cylinder rods came off the shoe or something. Something just isn't right, the fluid is going somewhere when I push on the pedal.  It is either leaking insde a rear drum brake and not come out on the floor yet, or something is expanding that isn't supposed to be (or both).

It just drives me crazy that only get an hour or two and then I'm called home, so I don't get a chance to look into everything.  Now I'm just left 8 miles from the car to hypothesize with my laptop. This is why I need this form as my therapy for when I can't actually go work on the car.

On a positive note, I've taken the brakes apart so many times now, what used to be a dreaded gask I can almost do in my sleep in about 90 seconds!

Nate - Madison, Wisconsin

 

56 Ford Customline Sedan