YOWZA, YOWZA, YOWZA!!!  I got it!  My friend John was right!  My assumption that grinding of the pivot lense on the back of the wheel side pad wouldn’t matter was wrong!  Mia culpa.
I had ground it off because the dimensions didn’t work.  When bolted all together, the pad bound against the rotor.  I should have ground off some pad material instead.  Without the pivot lense, the wheel side pad never had full contact with the rotor resulting in diminished braking power.
I removed the pad.  I made a small domed button from a screw head and epoxied it onto the center of the back of the pad.  I sanded off some of the pad material so it would fit.  Reassembled it and today I tried it out in the lane.  WOO HOO!!
Not two finger braking by any stretch, but confident full force braking.  Scared myself a bit when it locked up and the front tire started to wash out.  WOO HOO!   Now I need a stretch of weather so I can insure and ride it.
When my new brake pads arrive that have the proper pivot lense on, I’ll switch out my jury rigged ones. 
I know you guys are just shaking your heads.  What a dip stick, right?  In my defence I’ve never worked on brakes that weren’t bolted directly to the forks.  This older Honda system with a swing/pivot arm is a bit weird to me.  But I’ve got it now. 
Cheers,
Ross