Ford Puma handbrake trouble >:-(

[Answerprancer]

Ford Puma recently failed MOT on handbrake (13% efficiency/not working on nearside).
Renewed shoes and lubricated/checked everything properly. Checked/adjusted the nut beneath the handbrake lever - no action/handbrake still inactive. Made sure the (rear) brakes work ok if operated by foot (they did) cables are free and working properly, cylinder is fine, no 'sponginess' so doesn't need bleeding.
The only thing I can think of is the self-adjustment cylinders. I screwed them up so I could get the drums back on and assumed they would 'self-adjust' after a few pumps on the foot brake. They didn't seem to work very well, so I squirted some WD40 into them and re-checked movement, which was better.
WhatTheFewnuclear is going on ? Urgent help MUCH appreciated.

[tonyav]

Check that the brake cylinder pistons are not gunged up. Have you checked that the hand brake cable is not stretched ?.

[Hopkirk]

Surely all this talk of pistons, cylinders and lack of sponginess is irrelevant.

The handbrake is applied by cable, not hydraulically.

http://www.projectpum...opic.php?f=13&t=14318

[Answerprancer]

Update:
I removed the self-adjusters, stripped them down and gave them a damn good clean up, ground off the slight lip that made removal/fitting of the drums a pain in the anus, tightened up the adjusters by hand and re-fitted everything.
I now have hand-brakage :-)