Hi Paul,
You could drive the races in with a punch if you go slowly, keep them square in the bore, fully seat them, and don't damage the surface of the race. The bearings get lubricated by the gear oil so no need to pack them. The drums front to rear are definitely not the same. However, the brake shoe hardware arrangement is pretty much the same front to rear except for the e-brake. The drums will run you about $80 apiece.
Here are pics of freshly reassembled shoes on the rear driver side you can use for reference.
