Perhaps I should amend my comments above. What I was referring to was a stock radius brake shoe being installed to an oversized drum (turned to max dimension or beyond) needing to be re-radiused to properly fit old drum. In the old days there was a machine that brake shops used to properly accomplish this task of fitting shoes. You are correct shoe has to have a bit of run-out at their ends, or they will fetch up.
If you have just the center of the shoe contacting drum, braking ability will be greatly diminished at that wheel, and if the opposite drum is standard dimension on that axil its normal braking action will appear to be excessive in contrast causing one wheel lock-up.
One other condition that I experienced in the old days with my first Dart’s easily locking rear wheels was due to excessive moisture or humidity collecting over night or during wet days between drum and shoe. This problem was the result of a lackadaisical mechanic not installing rubber plugs back into adjuster holes. The rear wheel wheels would lock on painted crosswalk surfaces, wet pavement, dusty pavement, etc. until rear shoes were heated enough to dry them out. I also suspected the fool didn’t properly clean braking surfaces during reassembly.
One more thought, check rear tire pressure, over or under inflation will reduce contact patch area causing reduced traction and easy lock-up under moderate braking, and conversely more robust burn-outs (but that’s another subject). LOL
This was one reason I began making my own repairs, that and being a broke college student with more pressing needs on my cash reserves from girlfriends, skiing, and tuition being higher priorities over hiring mechanics. After all gas was 29-32 cents a gallon, a burger at McDonalds was around 25 cents, and books and tuition about a grand… Ahhhh; the good old days when minimum wage was pegged at around a $1.60 an hour, and draft lottery drew into low 300’s.
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