1970 rebuilt commando wheels not turning

Most motorcycles have a piece of tube between the wheel bearings to take the load when the axle nuts are tightened. Drum brakes are always a problem, however the Japanese seem to be able to make drum brakes which do not need shims between the backing plates and the wheel bearings.
'Some things are so bad that they are good' ?
The drum brake from a GT750 Suzuki two-stroke might stop a Commando.