Parking brake actuator orientation

[BodhiBenz1987]

Just finished (maybe?) the parking brakes, but before I put the calipers and wheels back on and put the car on the ground: Does the orientation of the actuator make any difference? I.e., does it matter if the hinge points toward the front or the back of the car. I ultimately assembled it with the hinged part opposite the bolt that holds the cable to the rear of the wheel carrier because 1) that's how it was pictured in the FSM and 2) the cable was less twisted that way. I did try assembling it both ways and the shoes seemed to sit the same. It doesn't look like it would make a difference ... but I'd rather be certain so I'm asking ...
Also, although the wheel turns fairly easily, I can hear a light scraping from the shoes inside the rotors ... adjustment star all the way retracted, cables slacked a bit at the middle bracket. Is this normal? The cables seem to move freely in and out, and the e-brake definitely engages and disengages. It just sounds like the shoes still make light contact no matter what.

Edit to add: This is the 124.