Raybestos Professional grade. They claim higher breakaway torque over OE but who knows. So far they hold well.

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/more...952&cc=1427846
http://www.rockauto.com/info/Raybest...ng%20Brake.pdf

I go a little further with the brake adjustment from when they start to first scrape. The shoe can be off center and give you a false scrape so you have spin them a bit to see if they center. I usually go until the rotor starts to get some turning resistance. You should be able to hear if they are dragging while driving. The high spot will wear down fairly quick and level the pads so they don't rub. Also don't be afraid to put a good of pressure on the parking brake pedal when you set it. I made sure everything was grease free and sprayed everything down with brake cleaner well but it still took a bit of bedding until the shoes bite better. I do the same with a all my trailer brakes though they are a little bit easier to be bed and feel how tight the shoes are. The way the shoes pivot you don't get full contact with the shoe on the rotor, especially when the pads are new. Usually you can see the uneven wear on the old shoes.

 

The on-line manual that I use specifies the use of a brake gauge tool. This tool is like a giant caliper so you can measure the drum and then adjust the shoes to 0.030 less. I bought one of these tools and it worked great. Manual also calls for burnishing if shoes are new.

 

I would just get yours working. Adjust the brakes and shorten the cable. If you just push the pedal a little nothing happens. If you mash it, it will hold the truck.

 

It could be the shoes as said earlier. I wore my stock e brake out with mud years ago. I installed a set of shoe from advance auto and they didn't hold. A set from Napa didn't either. I finally got a set from the dealer for not much more than the aftermarket shoes and it holds great now.

 

I have Napa pads, I am guessing they are along the lines of the "chinese" on the chart dkf posted.

Sometimes the truck will hold, then you hear creaking and the truck will slowly roll...like the shoes are gripping, then let go.

I will see if I can get some Ford or Raybestos ones sometime.

In the meantime I will try some more adjustments and bedding in.

 

That's exactly what mine was doing. The Napa shoes eventually wouldn't even hold on my driveway which is a 6" drop over 50 feet. I started carrying a wheel chock on a rope tied to my seat frame so I could pull the chock after taking the weight off it. The ford shoes got it fixed. I'll check out raybestos myself if I wear these out.