I'd intended to replace the rear brake shoes on my car today, but I couldn't even get past step one in the repair manual. Well, I actually got the wheel and the brake drum off, but I couldn't disconnect the parking brake cable from the trailing brake shoe. The spring on that damned thing is so strong that no tool I have at my disposal will compress it far enough to disconnect the end of the cable. And if I can't do that, I can't remove the shoe and replace it. I got really fed up and just put the drum and wheel back on, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. Bolt cutters sound like fun, but I actually want to be able to drive the car when I'm finished.

Try Autozone. You can "rent" tools from them. You pay the price of the item, then when you return it they refund the full price back to you. I have done this several times and it has been a real life saver. And it is free.