Triumph Repair: spitfire 1500 clutch problem, clutch master cylinder, clutch pedal

Question
our recently purchased spitfire 1500 1979 has been running
fine, if a little bit notchy on some gear changes.i noticed
clutch master cylinder fluid very black in colour,so ordered
repair kit for slave and master cylinder.before i was able
to do this clutch peddle went straight to the floor and
fluid lost in master cylinder.fitted repair kit to both
master and slave and bled system.checked slave piston
pushing fully forward when clutch peddle depressed but not
how much play there should be at the clutch fulcrum.it seems
to move freely by about one and a half inches.after replacing repair kit peddle pushes down with some pressure
and returns up ok,but cannot select any gear with engine
running.when engine stopped gear box selects ok.is this
a faulty cluth assembly itself? if so it seems strange it
should fail exactly the same time as total fluid loss in
master cylinder reservour.any help would be greatly
appreciated,  kind reguards

Answer
Peter,

It's a bit of a coincidence that both would fail at the same time.  Not impossible.. just kind of funny.

As to the rebuilt hydraulics:

How far can you push the pedal down before you get resistance?

Is the bleed nipple on the clutch slave in the upper position?  If not, you're not getting all the air out of of the slave.

One trick I've learned over the years is to prop the clutch pedal to the floor with a piece of 2x4 and let it sit for several days.  This helps get some of the excess air bubbles out.


Cheers,

Jim