Rear brake pedal spring

I bought a 2001 sportsman 400 "project" atv. When I got it there was no rear brake pedal at all!! I recently found the right one for it. I put it on correctly I think lol and there doesn’t seem to be much spring tension at all, is the spring supposed to be wound a few times before hooking it up? (Seems impossible). All the rest of the rear brake is there and doesn’t work of course,that’s the next (expensive) project! I should have just sat back and enjoyed retirement! Thanks