front brake

I will just say my experience
was not good with a certain recliner they broke my shoe in half as ABC shoes are rather fragile,I would listen to Keith,or a recliner who specifically deals with vintage bikes !

Oh yes, I would not want to look for trouble.
Here's a picture for the record
 

[...And also fixed a problem with the forum which was not accepting image uploads...sorry about that!]

 

Adding one more picture for Keith to comment on
 

Something i picked up off a vmcc member some time ago. when you look at the front brake and how it is worn is in fact what you need when the brake is new not when it  needs replacing,.
the brake linings have maximum contact.  In reality on new shoes only the part of brake shoe near the rotating fulcrum is in contact with the drum  there for you only achieve around 20% braking (thats just a guess)  if you remove some of the brake lining starting from the brake lever end this will give better braking as more contact, the more you remove the better the contact. with the milage we do on our bike it will take some time for the brakes to get better and better.