[trevorsworth]

I am not an expert, but I have just done the brakes on all four corners of my coupe. Here is what I learned: your brake shoe springs can't be too strong. The old springs have endured many stretch/relax cycles and many heat cycles - they are tired. The brake shoe springs are providing most of the return force on the pedal, so you want as much power on them as possible to ensure the shoes retract fully and the pedal returns as soon as you let off.

I was tempted to reuse my old springs because the new springs were almost impossible to install because they were so strong. Use a cutoff wheel on an angle grinder to cut a slot in the end of a small flathead screwdriver. You can use the slot to hold the loose end of the spring and stretch it to catch on the shoe. This made the job a cinch and my brakes work way better now.