Carrier steering woes

[Jim Burrill]

Hi folks,
After rolling out my Mk1 this summer, I have been sorting through some teething problems.
One for the books: Fuel flow restricted. The gas line going to the tank selector had a portion of tube that went too far into the valve and covered the hole. All looked right, but most of the hole was blocked until we shortened the tube about 1/8 ".

Ok, here is where I need some specific advice. I can't seem to lock the brakes on either side hard enough to do a tight steer on grass.... can spin on a dime on pavement.

Details: Brake rods adusted with two sets of Rob's adjusting tools so front to back and left to right are in spec.
New brake shoes on both sides.
Drums NOT turned as the shop said they were in good kip.
Steering wheel has new bearing in floor....in fact every bearing in the whole carrier is new, except the wheels....they were all taken out, cleaned and tested and repacked.
Upper steering wheel housing is lubed and turns freely.
Hand brake was disengaged.
Track tension was set to spec.

Observations: The steering was better when fresh from the shop. I have noticed the track has become very tight. I haven't had the chance to loosen the track back to spec yet (I am not currently in the same town as the carrier) I have gotten some improvements by tightening the brake adjuster by several flats.

Suspicions: 1) the new shoes are not an exact replacement and the arc of the lining is different. This may improve as the high points wear in.
2) the track is drum-tight and doesn't "dig in" to the soft ground correctly.

Any one had similar problems or have any clues?

Cheers,
Jim