The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-16
BE SURE BRAKES PROPERLY RELINED
By BARNEY OLDFIpLD


 brake lining on the market. The ony blanket statement that can be made about them Is that all ct them which are sponsored by reputable, reliable firms will wear well and last reasonably long. Manufactur- CTS of automobiles favor one brand. or two, or three, while every brand that is nationally known Is used In some stock production. In the main, in choosing & new brake lining It is good practice te ascertain the make already on your car and equip with that.
 Of the rivets used in fastening the lining to the brake bands there are three types. And these three types are made of three metals. Discuss ing the metals first, 1t is possible to eliminate one without hesitation. Steel rivets sometimes masquerade as copper rivets, being copper coat ed. In whatever form they come, steel rivets should never be used. Once the brake lining has worn down sufficiently to uncover tho rivets the steel will wear against the steel brake drums and cut rhe latter.
 Copper rivets have their adherents, but usually they are objected to be- cause of their propensity for crystal izing. First in the ordinary heat of friction. and later when with con tinued wear of the lining they come
 
 the drum, their temper changes. and they become almost as hard az steel
 Brass rivets are the best, ana are recommended by a majority of l4n- ing manufacturers and responsible repairmen.
 Turning to the types of rivets, we find on the lAvket the solid, the split and the tubular. The solid .s satisfactory in every way, provided it is properly placed. But n re- quires more time and greater ex- pense to apply 1t.
 The split rivet is advocated by one large maker of brake lining, and this company has evolved method of using it which greatly lowers the cost of lining replacement. With this method, the brake band does not have to be removed. The rear vii" Is inserted in place of the brake drum. The old lining is ripped and chiseled off. the new lining placed in position, and then the split cop per rivets are driven through from the outside against the surface of to be drilled or countersunk with this method, as the prongs of the rivet in striking the unyielding sur face of the anvil. turn back and inn bed themselves in the fabric.
 In theory the split rivet method 
 in its favor. It saves time and money. which, as we have already pointed out, is & desideratum. It places tho process we'll within the capabilities of the amateur. And 1t is claimed that when the lining prongs of the rivst offer less re- sistance than the round heads of tubular or solid rivets. Neverthe- less, 1t Is the opinion of most brake experts that the split rivet does not fill the bill. If tho work is not done beyond the lining instead of imbed- ding themselves in it, thus reducing brake effectiveness and inducing squeaks. And. moreover. there is no guaranteeing that the prongs will divide equally. If tho prongs can sink into the lining, then the lining is too soft.
 None of these shortcomings can be claimed against the tubular rivet. Before the introduction of modern methods it was justly argued that use of the tubular rivet boosted the tinction to use of the split rivet. the brake band has to be removed from the car, and each rivet hole has to be bored and countersunk, ahd tho rivet hammered into place. However, with the new machines locating the Hoiesi ptdhc ilHlHB, ma cOuntclsink- ing Is done in one quick operation, while the rivet is pressed homo in another, equally as expeditions. With these machines the old rivets are also pressed out, which is an im- provement on the hammer and chisel method of removing them
 The following table indicates the approximate cost of brake relinirix. including materials: Name or Car Hand Foot aupmoplle .....Sl0 312. .5o Ford All brakes S6.5o Dodge ........,$ $14 S14
 .(Both at once, $24) Buick Six :....:$15. o0-s17.. % Is Chevrolet .....s.. Il .25 for both Cadillac ......... 2.63 for both Hudson .......17.50 IT K