Dusty - If by "no self actuating assist" you mean no self adjusting, you are correct. Must be the self adjusting system was optional? But, the primary shoe can still be relined with a shorter lining. According to "National Service Data" by National Automotive Service, San Francisco 11, Calif., copyright 1956, in almost every car brand listed is a paragraph about eliminating what they call "pulling & diving". They suggest relining the primary shoe with a shorter lining than the secondary shoe! They also list Kaisers & Frazers as using 2" wide linings, 13/64" thick, primary linings should be 12 1/4", secondary lining should be 10 1/32" long. If you do indeed have the self adjusting system on your car and the shoes were reversed, you got real lucky that day on I-5! I find this topic rather interesting and I'm looking forward to further comments.
Gary.