nice one. yeah maybe wipe off the excess from the pedal mechanisms as it wont be doing much good and will cause a mess when it runs down.

Yeah its the master cylinder thats the main culprit. Im sure someone out there has changed the MC before to something else that doesnt have the issues.
Pressure plate and actual friction plates are fine in this car. if probably over-engineered by the feel of it. Doesnt need to be that beefy a clutch for a 4cyl.
the clutch on my 410hp Skyline was just as heavy!