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Show I YON BRAKES, ITCH TIM I i There Is one part of your automobile that you give all too little attention to and that should receive more. It is the braking system. When the brakes refuse to take hold as they should, you take them up a notch or two, or have the garage man do it for you. That is all right as. far as It goes, but the brakes should be Inspected from time to time by someone who knows, be cauce, next to the motor, they are the most important part of the entire car. A good many car owners seem to feel doubtful about their ability to care for the braking systems of their vehicles, especially as .regards relin-ing relin-ing them after the bands have given evidence of needed replacement. "There is no reason why any car owner own-er cannot relino his brakes if he attacks at-tacks the job in the proper manner, says C. D. Rand. It Is scarcely necessary to explain why brake linings wear out. When it is considered that on the composition composi-tion used to line the brake drums practically the whole pressure of a vehicle weighing, perhaps, a ton and a half, Is suddenly Impounded while that great mass is traveling at considerable con-siderable speed, the owner will not wonder at the compound's tendency to wear out. In actual service, every time the brakes are applied the great pressure exerted induces a little wear on the surface of the lining, which is also compressed a certain amount. It Is because of this year and compression j that the brakes must be adjusted from time to lime. The adjustments merely mere-ly compensate for the change in thick-nesB thick-nesB caused by the wear and compression. compres-sion. A time comes when the band is so thin that no adjustment remains to compensate for the condition, and then the brakes must be relined. Sometimes Some-times the metal band stretches a little and this adds to the difficulty of mak-, Ing adjustment So long as the metal band wears evenly and no metal spots show, the brake lining may be considered serviceable. ser-viceable. Sometimes, however, the' wear may be even, but the rivets that hold the band show signs of wear. The lining may be otherwise perfectly perfect-ly good, but after the rivets begin to wear down, the operation of relinlng should not long be delayed. In re-lining re-lining the brakes the operator should know that the band must fit perfectly perfect-ly and must make a good contact with the drum. If only one side of the lln- that the braking efficiency is considerably consid-erably reduced, in addition to which I excessive wear on parts of the lining will bo Induced. .Now we come to the actual job of relining. Before you begin, have the new lining cut to the actual size needed. need-ed. Most accessory stores keep brake lining measured off in feet. By giving the make and model of the car, tho owner can have tho lining cut off in proper lengths. And right here, let us say that the i most expenaivo brake lining is none too good. Tha action of this unit Is so Important to the safety of tho driver driv-er and his passengers that every precaution pre-caution should bo taken In replacement, replace-ment, particularly as to buying the moat reliable lining that can be obtained. |