Triumph Repair: spitfire pressure plate, clutch plate, slave cylinder

Question
I replaced the clutch and pressure plates on my 65 spitfire and put the transmission back into the back of the engine.  Re-installed the slave cylinder and pumped the clutch pedal.  

The pedal only moves 3 or 4 inches then stops. When I bleed the slave cylinder it tavels all the way to the floor board.  When I tighten the bleeder valve and let the pedal return the the normal position, it just pumps 3 or 4 inches again.  The gears are grinding and it doesn't seem like the fingers on the pressure plate are releasing the clutch plate, but maybe the piston in the hydraulic fluid or in the slave cylinder is getting caught somehow, or possibly it needs to be bleed more.  

I may try to take out the slave cylinder and depress it with some other method thru the slave cylinder hole pushing the connection with the throw out bearing and the pressure plate to see if I can move the spring fingers.  What do you think?

Thanks
John

Answer
Hi John,

You did something wrong and I suspect you may have put the disk in backwards. Most disks are marked "Flywheel side". The only other thing I can think of is possibly you got the wrong pressure plate or somehow got the pins in the release bearing slider in the wrong position if you had that out.

I believe it is one of those three things.

Howard