Are you saying that the clutch pedal is almost all the way to the top before the clutch engages? That’s wrong. As is typical when not using a Borg & Beck cover on cars designed for them, the clutch linkage ratios are wrong.
What are you saying here? That the Borg and Beck SHOULD release close to the top? I ask because that's what I have in the Valiant, since that's what it came with. It releases pretty close to the top and it's always felt fine.