Handbrake troubles (probably a common problem)

[BobLeeSwagger]

I recently bought my first TVR S1 and the handbrake was only really working right at the top of its travel and occasionally slipped. I didn't think much of it, handbrakes aren't that complicated right?
After some poking around i found one of the self adjusters had got full of muck (maybe brake dust and water or oil). I took it off, gave it a good wire brushing and put it back on. Now my handbrake lever goes past 3 clicks and it's tight, but it still doesn't hold the car on a slope. You have to physically pull on the lever that little bit more to get it to stay (it won't quite get to the next notch without pulling on it in my opinion far too hard).

What to do now?
I'm wondering if i might have got it too tight with the manual adjuster (them 2 nuts on the cable right up in the belly of the car).

Another thing i wondered was that the muck that was on the self adjuster could have got onto the pads. I was considering whipping them back off, covering them in petrol then trying to burn any of the oil out, then wire brushing them to rough the surface up a bit. Or would you suggest just a new set of brake shoes and another self adjuster (think this one might have got worn with it slipping)

Thanks, Tom.

[mep12345]

Try tightening the cable a fraction if it bites when you pull up a bit beyond your third click as the cable may have stretched. I also found that I needed to manually wind out the self adjuster when resetting the pads until you can just get the drum on. This sets the initial position and allow the adjuster to work on the minor require adjustments required through life immediately. I think that if you don't do this is takes so many brake operations for the self adjuster to get to the correct position that it effectively doesn't work.

The cable adjuster was mentioned in another thread on this page only yesterday so shouldn't be too difficult to find

HTH

Mark