Torchie, Here's some more babbling, to add to Dr C's. What if the factory riveted the hub in your friction disc backwards so the face of the clutch is the right way but the hub has it's long snout frontwards,, or simpler yet, they stamped the 'flywheel side' stamp on the wrong side?
If you put a washer under each bolt hole in the circumference of the pressure plate and then put the bolts in, you could see if the fingers had enough travel or would you have to add another washer to each bolt? If you're squeamish about leaving the washers in there, you, at least now have the right thickness to make a shim for under the outside of the PP, so the fingers have enough travel to release the friction disc.
You may also have to add washers between the transmission and bellhousing until you can turn the motor over nicely, so you get to know how much you need to whack off the end of the pilot shaft.
This is all 'hotroding' at its best. Keep forging ahead, Torchie.
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