Vintage clutch release bearing question

[racer]

Good Evening gents,

 

As a regular reader of this section of the site I am always impressed with the engineering work and solution's to problem's that are found, now although not a military vehicle it is the combined engineering knowledge of this forum that I ask a question, I have removed the gearbox and clutch of a 1913 Chalmers 17 to rebuild the gearbox and have found the oil bath clutch's release bearing looking like it may have lost it's wear surface, what to you guy's think would have been riveted to the bearing ? or are the rivets there to allow oil to lubricate the faces when loaded against the steel release plate.

 

 

Thanks for any idea's received.

 

 

Andy

[paulbrook]

I think that there would have been something there - probably either a woven asbestos material or else something like a graphite block. I have some early reference books so will have a look!

[andypugh]

Thanks for any ideas received.

 

Those rivets don't look to me like they ever held anything on.

Unless the have slop and have dropped into the countersinks then there doesn't seem to be any gap for the rivetted-on item to have lived in (if you see what I mean).

 

I wonder if the rivets were a stop-gap measure to provide a new wear surface (the actual rivet heads).

 

Is there any sign of anything trapped under the remains of the heads?