I'd advise against shortening the adjusting shafts. They were made to a certain length from the factory to work well with other parts in the system. The shoes fit from the factory. They should be made to fit now.
A few questions ...................
1. Were the brake drums cut to true after being installed on the hubs? Most of the cast iron drum diameters are purposely made undersized so the drums can be cut to standard 11"after the hubs are mounted.
2. You say you unscrewed the adjuster all the way. If you unscrewed it until you could not turn it anymore, the adjusting shafts might be on a high lobe of the adjusting wedge. Turn the adjuster back in slightly until you hear, feel, see both adjusting shafts "click" into the lower (recessed) lobe on the wedge.
3. Have your shoes been professionally "arced" to fit the specific inside diameter of each drum? If not, see if a local automotive machine shop offers this service.
4. When trying to fit rear drums, make sure the emergency brake linings are not too thick for the drum to go over. Most vendors are now supplying a lining that's just a hair too thick. If you think that's the case, remove the
e-brake band and see if the drum fits.
