Help with 931B brake adjustment

I need some expertise on adjusting the brakes and linkage. I adjusted the rods for the steering valves so there is approx. .028 clearance on the cams. I loosened the linkage a half a turn more than I had it because to get the proper clearance I had to push on the cam to fit the feeler gauge in. Now the feeler gauge fits without having to push down on the cam. The connecting rod does start to move as soon as the pedal is touched, so I think that parts OK.



Now for adjusting the brakes. I tightened the brakes up as tight as I could and put the support bolt underneath snug. Then I shortened the brake rod as short as I could and still get the pin in(over 1/4" shorter). Then I loosened off the brakes 1 1/2 turns and the support bolt 1 1/2 turns as I had read. This only gave about 2 3/4" pedal travel, so I loosened the brake band another 1/2 a turn and got 3" pedal travel. I think the book calls for 3.9"-4.1". Should I have loosened the brake band before shortening the rod or should I loosen off the band to get more pedal travel? I've read conflicting ideas on this. I took the vertical brake rod off that hangs down and thought I could lengthen it to get more pedal travel but am not sure if that will work. Would just lengthening the brake rod some give me the required pedal travel? Please help me figure this out. I just spent a fortune on this and don't want to have to do it again.

Help with 931B brake adjustment