Brake linings

I would have thought that th brake fluid acted as a lubricant, which is not ideal in a brake.

You can get them re-lined, but as this is a service for classic and vintage cars, probably not cheap:

An old trick, was to soak them in petrol, then set fire to them. I don't now how modern lineings might react to that treatment though.

In my more impecunious younger days, many many years ago, I had a Corsair that leaked oil onto the front disc pads so every now and then I put them under the grill. It worked moderately well until I forgot to pump-up the brakes after refitting the pads late one Sunday ... the result cost more than repairing the leak would have cost. It used to be possible to buy linings and rivets for DIY re-lining ... maybe Mr Google can help ... If you haven't got a better option then you could try heating them up for a while to burn-off the oil.

Hot soapy water. Folk said it would ooze back out but no such problem. Of course whatever you do would need to be tested thoroughly before trusting lives to it.

I don't see whyt. Many vehicles still feature drum brakes.

When brake fluid is impregnated into the lining material the coefficient of friction goes up. I had a terrible experience where a minor leak would occasionally cause a rear drum to lock-up. Only to be released by rolling backwards.

After I changed the seals and stopped the leak I heated the shoes to remove the glycol brake fluid rather than changing them. I could see the vapour rising after heating them.

In short the braking characteristics can dramatically changed with contaminated brake linings.

I thought Rollers generally used components from standard cars and were fairly easy to come by?

BICBW

Ref my earlier reply - a quick search for <brake shoe lining> shows that linings and appropriate rivets are still readily available.

Okay, Many thanks, all. Got enough detail now to proceed.

CD.