Tested clutch again this am. IT WORKS!
So of course I then hooked up the e-brake and then immediately pulled it and bent it cut it down and pulled the shifter to mod the e-brake mount to make it lower so it'll be more like an original. There is something really wrong with me.
I can lower the round mount thing about 3/4 of an inch to bring the top of it even with the top of the shifter housing, and lower the front of the handle the same to get it closer to the top of the bulkhead. This will make it more like they actually were and give the driver just a skosh more leg room. While I'm at it, I'll also add another mounting screw to the front "leg" of the handle to tighten everything up, since it was just a little wobbly before.
While I'm welding stuff, I also plan to make a stiffening brace for the pedal box up front, as I noticed just a little movement there as well when the brakes were getting pumped violently for final (?) bleeding. It's only about 6-7 inches to the back of the beam mount and there are already bolts in it for the sway bar, so it should be a simple matter to fab up a T with some angle iron and half-inch round steel, with a loop to bolt it through.