something tightens up

[AustinWood]

To fit Girling adjusters you need the complete setup. Drums, shoes, actuators, springs, backplates & stub axles. At the back the axle needs to be modified too.

[Dennis Nicholas]

I really don't think I would drive any further till the fault was cured for fear of much greater damage being done with accompanying big expenditure to sort out what may now be a relatively small repair.  And anyway just think of the danger of a seizure while on a busy main road
Faults rarely if ever cure themselves.

Dennis

["Slack Alice" Simon]

What linings do you have?

I may, repeat may, be coming to the conclusion that my brake troubles are due to having grey composite linings rather than the woven type.

[andrew34ruby]

I really don't think I would drive any further till the fault was cured ...

After not using the Ruby, today I took the opportunity to remove all wheels and drums. Shoes are not broken, springs not snapped and pivots not broken. All looked as it should be.

Except one front pivot is ever-so-slightly loose. It's difficult to see that this would make any difference to anything. At the moment the car drives fine.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Yes, it can cause exactly the symptoms you are experiencing.

[andrew34ruby]

Yes, it can cause exactly the symptoms you are experiencing.

The brake pivot was only slightly loose, but the symptoms were only slight, too. So I whipped that drum off again, and using a pair of pointed-nose vice-grips I screwed the pivot in as tight as I could, less than a full turn. Followed this with very careful use of a punch, on the back of the pivot with a centre punch and a moderately sized hammer, tightening it a little bit more.

On a test drive I could feel no symptoms no matter how I tried. Stop-start traffic at 2 mph had been the situation when it happened earlier.

Big thanks Ruairidh.  Think we can say it's fixed.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Good news.