Brake Drum Doesn't Fit?

I don't think it has anything to do with your fit issue, but the spring below your adjuster doesn't look right. I think it's going to interfere with the rotation of your adjuster.

Dean

where is your parking brake guts, I see the cable entering, but no actuator parts?

My parking brake assembly was missing when I opened up the drum. I have looked for one for sale but I still can't find one. Do you know where I could get one?

did you ever get the drum on ?

No, I havent. I did get a tip from my neighbor though that while my drum doesn't have a lip, it might be tapered. He said I should look in to getting it lathed.

What if you tried putting it back together with the old shoes , just to see if there is possibly something that is being overlooked . That is how it usually works with me , trial and error , and sooner or later . Its all in the observation

I notice 2 things that, I'm pretty sure, are not quite right----
1) The adjuster is positioned correctly, but the spring it rubs against needs to be turned around, end-for-end.
2) Although you said the adjuster is screwed all the way in, I have to disagree. A close look at your photo of it reveals that there is a teeny-weeny little bit of space between the male & female pieces-----maybe 1/16" or so-----, but it can make a difference. Put the male end on a good wire-wheel that will get all the crud off the threads, right down to the very last one. Then, find a " tubing " brush small enough to fit inside the female end to the very bottom, to get all the crud out of the very last thread there. I think that then, you'll find that you can screw the adjuster all the way in---- 100%.

This still may not cure your problem, but at least it'll eliminate a possible suspect.

If you cant find a tubing brush small enough to fit the female end, do this: 1) At your local hardware or plumbing store, buy the smallest one they have---probably 1/2"---that has the handle made of the heavy twisted wire. 2) Use your bench-grinder to grind off the very tip of the heavy twisted wire that holds all the bristles in place, so that the bristles now extend to the very end of the brush ( be careful while doing this to keep the end of the brush cool by dunking it in water frequently, so as to not ruin the tension in the bristles at the very end of the brush ). 3) Cut the big loop ( the "handle" ) of that wire off, leaving the tightly-twisted portion intact. 4) Now, chuck that twisted portion of the handle in your hand-drill, run your hand drill at its fastest speed, and very carefully bring it into contact with the flat side of your bench grinder's stone wheel while it's running ( again, cool the bristles frequently ). This will reduce the diameter of the tubing brush to a point that will enable you to clean out the female end of your adjuster, all the way to the very last thread.

Hope this helps a little !

Shop air and a blow-gun work very well for removing crud.
Everything you said is good information.
Our old service station had a brake shoe conditioner that would size the shoes to the drums. The machine was from the 1930s. I am thinking the name on the machine might have been Van Norman.

I like OldIHfan's suggestions.

Some new brake drums come with instructions stating that they will need to be"trued". Maybe they come undersized to allow for this. I put two new rear drums on my'52 L120 and this was definitely the case for me.