You may not be adjusting your brake shoes out far enough.   When you pull your E-brake its sort of ajusting the rear shoes for you.  
   I adjust my shoes out until they lock the drums, then back them off until they just turn with my hand and you can hear them barely dragging.
   Do this with both adjusters one wheel at a time .   DO NOT have your E- brake handle pulled up.
   Check that you have some free play between the master cly push rod and the master cly itself. About 1/8 "  You can feel it when you do this with your hand. If you have no free play, you will never have a good full pedal no matter what you do.

Glad it worked.    Really you were doing it right if I understand it.   There are to "star adjusters" per wheel as you know.  As you look at the backing plate   " righty up,  lefty down to tighten "   Were you working on one wheel at a time ?  Thats the way I meant  .  Examble, take the right front wheel, adjust the "righty up" until it locks. back it off until it barely drags,  adjust  "lefty down' back it off until it just drags.  Move to the left front and repeat then go to the rears and do the same thing. What ever the way you did it must have worked but doing them one at a time keeps you from making 10 laps under the car :lol:

         Spreader =  starwheels brake adjuster ? :lol:

the e brake is real tight.  maybe 2 clicks now.  I need to loosen it but Im tired and its 3am