If you want to be able to do those really impressive 180 degree turns from a standstill, the brakes just gotta be right.
It can't be stressed enough to the guys who are new to restoring carriers how important it is to have the drums turned clean. Most of the drums will get severely scored over time, and this reduces the effective surface area of the shoe/drum contact. Having the new (or old) shoes ground to match the drums is pretty important as well, although they will set in after a while.
Do it right the first time; the job only gets bigger once you have the whole vehicle all together. I had 2 drums turned just last fall and it only ran $35. The hard part is finding a machine/brake shop that can handle the weight of the drum/hub/sprocket assembly. The guy who did mine says they even turn truck drums with the dual tires still mounted on them, so mine weren't so bad.
After you turn the drums, make sure the hub seals are in good shape. Nothing like ruining all your work for a couple of seals. Warning: The last set I went to buy they wanted $65 a seal.
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