Upgraded shoes are in the works. They're not rare, just not as well known as disc pads now that almost everything uses 4-wheel discs.
I only mentioned the swap possibilities in response to badron's questions, to clarify the rules we're operating under.
As of now, I'm planning on late Cherokee booster and master cylinder, true split plumbing with a stand-alone adjustable proportioning valve to the rear, possibly adjustable from the driver position. I was planning on EBC pads, but right now there's an active thread in the Jeepspeed forum that has opened my eyes to a couple other possibilities.
Planning on sticking with factory rotors. I'll see how that works as I go along.
I already have the 10" drum set('87 D-44, lucky, lucky,..)