sandringham 1,
It's 40 years since I was on the VC10, but must admit I don't remember having heard of the G-ASGK failure, and presumed the armoured shielding was original equipment.
The other potential problem was identified, IIRC, during the investigation into the EAA accident at Addis: ingestion of disintegrating tyres, including the nosewheel tyres.