on the brake issue, if you have rear drum style (or front and rear drum) the park brake is an integral part of the rear brake adjustment. the star wheel sits at one end of the shoes and is adjustable for that end of the shoes. the other end of the shoes sits against the wheel cylinder pistons AND the park brake mechanism. if the park brake is not connected or adjusted incorrectly then the shoe return springs will bring that end of the shoes all the way back to butt against their stops. the wheel cylinders will be fully retracted. the star wheel end can be adjusted right up but still the brake pedal needs to be "pumped" because the park brake mechanism is not adjusted to keep that end of the shoes adjusted close to the drum. this will require the operator to pump the brakes in order to get the wheel cylinders out far enough to push the shoes out against the drums on that end of the shoes.
usually the way i adjust brakes like this is to start by checking the components to ensure everything is in decent shape. start at the pedal and check all the linkage and pivot points for wear or binding. ensure there is a pedal stop and a return spring. this seems trivial but can lead to all kinds of brake trouble if the pedal is not allowed to return fully so the pushrod in the master cylinder can return fully and allow the fluid return/supply port to be open to the system with foot off the pedal. also check the backing plates where the shoes touch. it is fairly common on older vehicles to have a little groove worn in the backing plate and the brake shoes can drop into this groove and want to stay there. the springs will not have enough power to bring the shoes all the way back like they should be. also ensure the park brake works correctly and is not sticky and returns completely etc.
loosen the park brake off so that end of the shoe is taken out of play as far as getting the star wheel end of the shoe adjusted. in other words, if the park brake is adjusted up the wheel cyl end of the shoes can drag as the star wheel brings the other end of the shoes out towards the drum and this can give a false adjustment of the star wheel. get the star wheel end adjusted, step on the brakes a couple times to set the shoes centered in their drums, recheck, then adjust the park brake to bring the wheel cylinder end of the shoes out to match the drum on that end. again, recheck. sometimes it is required to further adjust the star wheel again. some guys will try to run without park brakes and then wonder why they have poor brakes and have to pump them up. it is because the wheel cylinder end of the shoes requires that many pumps of the pedal to get the shoes out against the drums if the park brake mechanism has been disabled or is siezed up in the retracted position.
if you have disc front and drum rear ensure you have the correct master cylinder and it has a residual valve built in for the drum brakes. this is to keep a bit of residual pressure in the rear drum brakes so the wheel cylinder rubber cups keep a seal. also ensure the rear lines are connected to the correct port on the master cylinder. on some aftermarket systems an inline residual valve may also be used. if the master cylinder is frame mounted there my be a residual valve used for the front disc brakes as well. this is because a normal disc brake system usually had the master cylinder mounted on the firewall and there was some head pressure kept in the system due to the height difference of the two parts. with a low, frame mounted, master cylinder that head pressure is now gone so a residual valve is used to keep things working properly. if you have disc/drum brakes you will also need a proportioning valve for the system to function properly.
here is a little reading for you. spozed to snow this weekend up there anyway so it will keep you busy, haha.
https://info.mpbrakes.com/faqs
https://info.mpbrakes.com/faqs