Clutch Pedal S hook

[CarNut]

What's the proper position of the S hook on the clutch pedal? Mine goes over the top of pivot but I have no reason to assume it's installed correctly. The car is new to me, and I don't know the history. There is gease in the area as if someone was trying to stop squeaking. I searched the threads here and apparently it can be installed two ways. Over the top, it rubs on the bracket that pulls the cable and doesn't seem to do anything useful. The clutch action is not smooth and I suspect it has more to do with the S hook binding than anything else. I'm going to remove the spring first to see how the pedal feels without it. Does anyone know what it's for exactly? As noted in the other threads it doesn't really provide pedal return force.

[mdrburchette]

I just checked two of my cars and both are over. It's called a clutch lever return spring so I guess that's what it does.

[CarNut]

Thanks for checking. Now that I have the spring off and can try different configurations, it seems like the only logical position. Since the spring tightens as the pedal is released, the only function I can see is to soften the last bit of travel. It might help reduces shock on the cable if you literally pop the clutch.
I also see that a previous owner did a firewall patch for the cable issue. Perhaps they didn't get it lined perfectly and bent the "forks" down closer to the pivot to compensate. That would explain why the S hook rubs when the pedal is fully depressed. I'll try it without the spring while I find out what other issues are lurking. If it cools and stays in gear I'll be happy.

[So Cal Mark]

if the fork on the top of the pedal is crooked, it probably is cracked and pulling the cable at an angle. That will cause binding and the result will be that the end of the cable breaks off. Remove the pedal, straighten it and strengthen it

[CarNut]

Well it looks like it's cracked after all. I worked a light up behind the area to take some pictures and I could see the hairline gap. And it does appear the alignment would be better if it was up higher. I might be getting off cheap then, since the seller thought it needed a clutch.

Are there any hydraulic conversions? If I'm going to spend time and money I'd rather fix it for good.