Drum Brake Issues

[WildChild]

My hand brake basically doesnt work.. i mean it just about does and it will keep the car at a stand still on a slant or at traffic lights but put it this way.. i can drive with the hand brake on at about 20mph+ without really noticing it.

At first i thought it would be the hand brake cable would need tightening - giving me a better hold as it would pull the brake shoes further apart, but when i brake using the brake pedal anywhere over 40mph the car doesnt feel like its braking on the back, just relying on the front as all the weight in the car is thrown forward onto my front brakes and it feels like it wants to pull all over the place lol

I take it i'm most likely going to need to replace my drum shoes? or is it just a tightening of the cable jobby or is it a full drum set replacement job?

HELP! (also whatever needs doing can i do it myself) or what should i expect to pay..

[Mk2Adam]

drum brakes aren't too hard, or no harder than the other stuff i've seen you do on your cars so far.

probably the best thing to do is check the brakes and see if theres anything dodgy going on.

i found the haynes manual suprisingly good for the brake drums, pity i already knew my way around drums before