For what you will pay for those drums you can just about swap to a later and much stronger Explorer 8.8 axle with disc brakes and a locker and stronger 31 spline axles. Maybe some one might know or has tried this,check out the prices on these drums and the shoes I looked up a 1979 LTD with a 302 and found these as dirt cheap deals so could you use these by also using the matching hardware kits and also the self adjuster kits for an additional upgrade ?
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...+hub,drum,1744 Other possibility will the later model backing plates bolt up to the earlier rear end ?