together and testing
 

so i cant get the lever to stay behind that block, when i pull on the hand break, only the forward shoe moves back and forth, the rear stays stationary, and that lever rides smoth back and forth on the surface of that block and behind the rear stationary shoe. thats whats happening now, as far as i know theyr both supposed to move out and in, so it seems in order for that to happen that never needs to be behind that block. but that seems just not possible, everything is so tight its like theres no room for that to be possible, also i have tried this at every possible cable adjustment tight and loose, and completely disconnected

also i tried to fit the rotor on just to see, and i barely could get it on, i coukd force it on but the pads are against the inside of it TIGHT and theres absolutly no room for the shoes to get closer together, ESPECIALLY if that lever needs to stay behind that block...

when i hold that lever behind the block w a screwdriver while my uncle works the handle, both shoes move properly, but if push the lever back there and don't hold it, soon as the lever is pulled the movent of the shoes pulls it right out from behind the block immediately. like nothing can possibly keep it there.
Please feel free to call me an idioanif anyone notices something stupid im not getting but between my uncle and i, whos been working on cars much longer than me, we cannot figure out whats wrong here. Ive ruled out the shoes being longer as a problem the difference is much smaller than i thought if there at all its just easy to not line them up properly to compare. any advice is super appreciated as always!

I attach some relevant pages from the factory shop manual. It looks quite a bit different from your photos, if I read them correctly. The shop manual shows the adjuster at the bottom and the spring and activating lever at the top. Your photos seem to show it with the adjuster at the top. I'm confused.

i have also seen it that way in photos but thats not how it goes with the 06 limited sedan, the way i have it is the way it was when i first took it apart, and i put it together following directions step by step to the T from the haynes manual for 06 sedan. Although in the manual it does not specify in words that the lever needs to be behind that block, just shows it in the photo leading me to believe it should not be SO HARD / impossible to keep it there