source for 36 clutch release bearing?

[Decomobile]

Does anyone have a source for the "carbon graphite" collar-mounted clutch release bearing for a 36 Deluxe 8? Attached is a photo of mine and text from the shop manual. Bob Graves doesn't have it. Mine looks like it has been overheated and is flaking apart. Also, was the bearing sold separately from the collar? Any modern substitute? Thanks in advance.

[Bloo]

Check with @Kornkurt too if you haven't. Do you have it out of there? How sure are you it's bad? There are two grooves in a good one. If You can still see grooves, it probably isn't worn out. It sure looks like it could use some oil. You can access the oil cup from the little cover up on top of the bellhousing. I think it wants thick motor oil or gear oil, but don't have the manual handy. The oil soaks through the carbon. The surface it runs on on the pressure plate needs to be fairly smooth for obvious reasons, and is a replaceable part separate from the pressure plate.

 

If nobody has a bearing, I would check with Steve Kassis at  https://www.fillingstation.com/ , as he rebuilds them for Chevrolet. I have no idea how he manages that, but he does it. This needs lots of double checking but I believe the only difference between the Chevrolet bearing and a Pontiac one is the location of the oil cup, and so a Chevrolet bearing would be a poor substitute because the oil cup would be pointing down, leaving no way to oil it. Still, if they are that close, and he can rebuild a Chevrolet bearing he can probably rebuild a Pontiac one. It would sure be worth a call to ask if he could.

 

Here is my bearing. I had oiled it a couple of times since I owned the car, but when I had the transmission out I soaked it in hot oil for a few hours to make sure it was saturated. Plenty of groove left on this one.

 

 

 

 

[Decomobile]

Many thanks for this. I did check with Kurt Kelsey but he doesn't have one (Is that @Kornkurt?). I'm not absolutely sure it's bad, but there were chips falling out of it and it was definitely overheated. I'll also check with Steve Kassis but was told by someone that the Chevy version is smaller. Also couldn't find anything about what oil to use on it in the manual other than the clip posted above. Thanks again.

[Decomobile]

Finally located a NOS release bearing. Wonder if I should soak in oil before installing?--looks like it's from the 1930s-40s.

[Bloo]

I would. I soaked mine in hot oil. Put some in the cup when you install it too. Some people will tell you not to "over oil" it because it will get in the clutch. The Pontiac design seems to make that almost impossible. If the bearing runs out of oil, it will supposedly squeak, and probably also hurt itself. You also don't want the steel piece the bearing rubs on to rust, although it is replaceable in a pinch. More pics and an explanation of why the oil probably won't get in the clutch are in my transmission thread. Scroll way down.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2022 by Bloo (see edit history)

[Bloo]

On 8/2/2022 at 5:47 AM, Decomobile said:

I did check with Kurt Kelsey but he doesn't have one (Is that @Kornkurt?).

Yes.

 

On 8/2/2022 at 5:47 AM, Decomobile said:

I'll also check with Steve Kassis but was told by someone that the Chevy version is smaller.

I think it's the same, probably the one for the Chevy Master if there's a difference. I could be wrong but the Chevy won't do you any good anyhow because it's upside down and you can't oil it. Since he rebuilds I was going to ask him if he could rebuild a Pontiac one, or at least that was my master plan until I figured out mine was not even close to worn out.

 

I've seen Pontiac ones on Ebay, but not recently. I have also seen them with a grease fitting(!). That makes no sense, and I am not sure what that was about. It might be tough to squirt grease through the pores of a piece of carbon.

 

On 8/2/2022 at 5:47 AM, Decomobile said:

Also couldn't find anything about what oil to use on it in the manual other than the clip posted above.

 

The book unfortunately scatters information all over in places they shouldn't sometimes. I just re-looked and cannot find it. The lubrication chart skips it. Maybe it isn't even in there, I am not sure now. I will look in the owners manual later, but I don't hold up much hope that it is in there. I had it in the back of my mind that it was supposed to be something thick and I would not use the can of "light machine oil" I would squirt in the oil cups in the generator and starter. Maybe that's not right? I remember rooting around for some gear oil or something thick when I first got the car to oil that cup.

 

This last time I used some SAE 50 motor oil that was left over from servicing the air filter. I thought it might take forever to soak in. That's why I heated it.

 

 

 

[Decomobile]

Thanks Bloo.