Suspension, Brakes, Tires & Wheels - Small question...

I've been looking through my chilton manual about the brakes, and one thing I noticed when I cleaned them off is that the manual says not to press the brake pedal, as this would cause the shoes to expand and make the drum very difficult to get back on. However, this makes the squeek I'm having trouble with to be very hard to find. I was wondering, would it hurt anything if I worked the parking brake back and forth, since that works manually without the brake cylinder? That would help. I think it's the pin that holds the parking brake mechanism in, but that would help me diagnose if that's really what's doing it. Any help appreciated, thanks.

I would call the dealer and ask the service department for verification, but typically you're not supposed to press the brake pedal with the drums off because the wheel cylinders will over-extend and blow their pistons/seals. You may also over-extend some of the the springs, but that is not as likely. CAREFULLY using the parking brake might be a better option, as that does not typically move any part of the wheel cylinders.