My rear brakes (their drum brakes) need adjusting and I need some guidance on the right way to do this. Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

The easiest way is to back up 6-7 times and hit the brakes hard. This will cause the self adjusters to turn the star wheels and move the shoes closer to the drums. If that fails then you need to put the rear up on stands and adjust the brakes manually. There are slits cut in the backing plates that allow you to turn the adjusting star wheel with a brake tool or a large screwdriver. Turn the star wheel one way or the other, depending on which wheel you are working with, until the shoes are dragging against the drum. You need to spin the road wheel by hand till you feel it drag. Then press on the brake pedal hard to seat the shoes and repeat. I my take several cycles to get it right. Do the same thing to the other wheel. If you can't move the star wheel, usually due to rust, or worn teeth, then you will have to pull the drums and replace all the bad parts. There are many springs and miscellaneous parts that need to go back just right, so I suggest you spend $20 to $30 on a repair manual for your car, or at least take picture of how things are assembled, before taking them apart.