Drum brake size change

I was under the impression that as long as he has the correct backing plate to go along with the 10"x2.5" drums they will work on any 8 3/4".

Not entirely true. The axle flange offset is different between the 8 3/4” SBP axles and BBP axles. 10x2.5” drums only work with BBP axles. So yeah, the 10x2.5” drums can be used on any 8 3/4” housing, but they must be used with BBP axles. They won’t fit with the stock A-body SBP axles no matter what backing plate you use.