[rotorwrench]

One of the first Service Bulletins had Ford's procedure. It didn't mention the pedal position tool but it did mention the same pedal distance dimensions that a home made board would provide. I don't know why they chose this procedure but they certainly did. They may have wanted to reduce the tendency to nose dive under heavy braking.

Those first stamped steel drums left a lot to be desired. They ended up putting bands on them to prevent expansion warpage. The modern cast iron drums would be way better and especially with shoes fit to the drums.

Adjustment for front braking action first would follow modern systems design. A person would have to try it before completely discounting it as wrong. I'd keep an open mind about it anyway. The main thing is that the car stops in the distance the operator feels comfortable with.