401 rear drums

[innellan House]

Because of a recent axle oil leak, I had new brake linings made - these were ground to fit the existing rear drums. Following a recent 3500km journey.....and upon inspection of the linings, it appears only that of the leading shoe (on both sides) has bedded in and the lining of the trailing shoe has not contacted the drum at all. Thus it appears that the shoes are not centralising for some obscure reason. I have checked that the brake cylinder is free to slide, the piston works and all retaining springs are in good order. Any insights would be much appreciated.

[innellan House]

I am providing a follow up to the question I posed in 2014. The problem was sorted some years ago when the penny dropped that a previous owner had inadvertently swapped the rear backplates (the backplates are LH and RH designated). If the are mounted incorrectly, the trailing shoe cannot make contact with the drum, and the handbrake cannot be adjusted to maximum effect. I thank Mr Geoff Dowdle for the light bulb moment.