"As currently set, if I grab my wheel at 12 o'clock and pull down to 3 o'clock with moderate force the wheel will turn about 1 revolution before stopping."
my wheels dont turn that far. You should be able to hear the shoes just touching the drums, after replacing all the components on my 65 dart i could not get a firm pedal. i readjusted the brakes, a little tighter, and the pedal was fine.