"Brake Failure" (luckily still on jack stands)

I agree brake pedal height on drum brake cars is largely determined by properly adjusted brake shoes to drum clearance. It's a "feel" that has kinda been lost, because old mechanics are retiring/dying and cars have been being built with 4-wheel disks for well over 2 decades, now.
You can hand adjust the shoes up close to the drums so that the drum can be just slid on/off without forcing it on. Of course, the shoes have to be centered on the backing plate to get an accurate "feel".