5-speed campy hub internal rings?

[SalmonDog]

I was feeling some grinding on my 1980-ish novo record group, so opened it up and discovered some parts I don't understand, so I'll try to be as clear as I can:
- take off the outer most ring (has the pinholes for the v-shaped tool, I used a pin punch)
- lift off the gear cluster with outer set of bearings
- at the base of the threaded shaft the outer lock ring was on, about level with the outer bearing race, are three hair- to paper-thin metal rings, stacked on top of each other; the lowest has tabs facing inward that sit in grooves along the inner shaft; one of these rings (the thinnest) had been trashed pretty heavily, came apart into two semi-circles when I lifted it out
other than that there's no damage to any components, and I can't tell what rings so small would do: they don't seem to be bearing race material, and they're too low (I think) to support the gear cluster as an internal spacer.
Is this one ring necessary, and if so is it possible to replace the one? Or is it ok to put it all back together, minus the one hair-thin ring, and expect no difference?
Thanks

(I'll try to get some pictures up later to help clarify)

[SalmonDog]

Sorry, it's in the freewheel, not the hub. I promise I'm not actually that bad at bikes.

[nfmisso]

There is a guy who hangs out here: http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php/181-Classic-amp-Vintage who rebuilds freewheels. He can help you more than anyone on this forum.

Manufacturers do not include extra parts, that would eat into profits - all the parts there are required and the bare minimum for proper operation. So if you leave it out - it is not going to function properly.

[SalmonDog]

Figured it out. These rings (silver circle just below threaded shaft, bearings removed) put the lock ring (removed, left) at the right height because the long ring is the outer race for the outer bearings. Going to put it together without this spacer to see if it works, and I'll also see if someone has a 1980-ish Pro-Compe freewheel for parts. The other image shows the ruined part: you can see its really chewed up around the edges in addition to having been torn along its circumference.

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Other image didn't upload. Here it is: