Ummm, no on that last post. the slave will not compress with an old worn disc, so it remains further out. the purpose of a hydraulic system is to remain constant.
A brand new clutch will actually have the fingers further depressed on the pressure plate, thus being further away from the rest position of the throwout were it retracted all the way. as the clutch wears the fingers come out further, thus the distance from the fully retracted throwout bearing is shorter. To keep the pedal more consistent, the slave does not compress more than the fingers push the throwout back, hence there is always light contact with the throwout bearing and the pressure plate fingers.
the pedal position is a function more of either the pedal being slightly bent, or minor leaks in the master causing more travel to be required to get the same fluid volume moved to the slave.
bottom line is if it is working, ie fully disengaging and engaging, then if you are smart, leave it the f* alone.
forgot to add, both my 86 an 88 are almost identical, engage is about 2" from the carpet. and that is just starting to engage, as in uphil, you won;t go foward, but there is slight engine load. full engagement is about 4-5" off the floor, never measured it. full disengage in order to get into first or rev is basically 1" to floor board (or less) to be sure.
[This message has been edited by tjm4fun (edited 09-10-2007).]
