'78 350SL 4speed manual, clutch questions

[jaybutter]

I have a gray market '78 350SL 4 speed manual and have a few questions about the hydraulic actuation of the clutch. The problem is that the clutch disengagement requires pushing the pedal down to the bottom of its stroke. When releasing the clutch pedal it begins engagement just 1/2" up from the bottom of available pedal travel. Air in the hydraulic system is my first concern. I have tried to do bottom up bleeding, due to the vertical master cylinder, with only limited success. I was most successful using oil can filled with brake fluid and pumping it into the slave cylinder via the bleed port. For me more fluid leaks out around the bleed screw threads than goes into the system. This was much worse when I tried using the brake system as specified in the manual. Working by myself without a car lift I am having trouble. I am hoping that someone has some experience with a SL clutch setup and can provide some direction and answer some questions.

1. My pedal movement is light to the touch as compared to my 220D which uses the same master cylinder. Is this due to the over-center spring assist on the SL?

2. At what point in the pedal travel does your SL clutch engage/disengage?

3. What bleeding method have you had the most success using?

4. Is my pedal so low due to some other problem besides bleeding? Other than being low, the clutch works well, has good grab modulation, no slippage etc.

5. What is the best way to determine if you have air in the system, other than bleeding?

Thanks for your help in advance!