Well, that certainly looks correct.

I might be tempted to have the drums turned a bit, just to see if they are out of round...... When I was doing this kind of thing for a living, I would turn rotors/drums just because, as I hated doing jobs twice..... and heaven only knows how long those fellers have been sitting on a shelf......

 

A while back someone had a brake issue where their new shoes wouldn't fit the drums, ended up being that the shoes had a manufacturing error or something along those lines, if your drums check out to be fine, may want to look at getting another set of shoes to try, maybe a different brand. Longshot, but may be a problem with the proportioning valve, just tossing ideas out there...

 

Can you turn the star adjuster by hand in and out all the way? Grease works wonder on the parts to keep them free. You can adjust the brakes through an oblong hole on the back of the backing plate, might still have the rubber plug in it. Look through the hole with a light and you'll see the star adjuster. With a brake shoe adjustment tool, makes it easier than a flathead screwdriver, turn the star, up or down for adjustment. The star adjusters are L/R specific. I'm going with an out of round brake drum.

 

its a little tight, I’m going to grease everything up.

It’s been a rough week money wise with this truck! Fuel pump went out yesterday so I had to work on that all day. Today I’m going to get new front brakes and bearings, I can’t find the torque specs for the hub nut?
it’s a 99 5.2 2wd. I keep seeing 165 foot lbs but that’s way too tight, darn thing won’t move when i try to spin it

 

This is what I found for the front wheel bearings for a96 Ram 1500


Should be about the same for your truck

 

I think the 99 has unit bearings even on the two wheel drive trucks. So, 165 to 185 ft/lbs.....

 

I'm following along on this and just to give everyone some background I'm 57 and have been messing with vehicles on and off for a long time and I know just enough to be dangerous, lol. My situation started with my front brakes and I know I'll need new pads and rotors in that case. They are not worn out but one rotor has grooves in it from when a previous caliper failed and stuck on causing the pad to wear into the rotor a bit. It started small the front end would shake and shudder when braking, all front end stuff is tight except for the front shocks as I haven't checked them yet. I had intended to do the front shocks thinking this might be the problem and if it wasn't then I would do the pads and rotors. Then about ten days ago the back end started jumping, a little at first and now more. The weird thing is that it doesn't do it all of the time. I changed the shocks on it yesterday to some Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks and to be honest I don't think the ones that I took out were worn out but I guess we'll see. I was leaving for hunting about 4 weeks back and had adjusted my rear brakes, they were a little out and I adjusted them until I could just feel them dragging with no problem turning them at all. On the trip when coming down some of the long hills the front end would shudder like crazy as if it were bouncing off the bumps that the big semi's leave when they brake but the back end was fine. It's a mystery to me. I hope when we all get to the end of this we'll be able to help and give the answers to the next guy.

 

Sounds like a warped front rotor or rotors

 

That's how I've learned over the years. The really obscure problems are just plain interesting and you can usually use that knowledge later.

 

I had the rear locking up once and I noticed it before I left the driveway because I heard it dig into the gravel. Mine was a blown wheel cylinder that got brake fluid on the pads.
You said you adjusted the rears until you hear them touch with no resistance on the wheel. I adjust mine until they grab the drum then back them off until I don't hear them touching anymore, I do this with the tire on so the drum is held down tight.