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Ted, it is just over 50 years since I got my 1st V8, a 37 wellside truck. I had small english flathead ford 4 cyl cars for a while before then. On those we called floating brake mechanisms, compensators. Seized solid no good, free moving very good.
The 1937 mechanism was well known as having the potential to privide exceptional brakes, the draw back was that by the time most of us got or hands on them that the linkage connections and operating mechanisms had so much wear that getting them to brake in a straight line become the biggest problem.
The other problem was that to get the (crucial) clearance on the leading shoe Ford specified using a dummy brake drum. I saw a photo of one it was slightly over size and had holes cut so that feeler guages could be used to measure shoe to drum clearance. I have never know any one with such a brake drum.
Most people were blissfully unaware of this need so all sorts of unsatifactory attempts were made to get them working as they should. Most people had 1937 fords with unreliable, at best, brakes.
There was a brake company on. Manukau Rd, Epsom. Auckland that did a lot of brake work in those days, most of us went to them. I had some drums "cleaned up" by them the shoes relined and radiased to fit the drums. When I picked them up the older gentleman explained to me how to adjust that leading shoe without the dummy brake drum. First test drive out of the garage, I was wrapped around the steering wheel and becoming on first name basis with the windshield. had to back them off.
They are good.
Geoff Kiwi