I've heard of this issue before (long vs. short rods for the clutch MC). In the other case, the fellow had a long rod but need the short version, so he modified it in steps until it was short enough. Very frustrating for him.

You might try calling the MB Classic Center in CA and talk with their parts folks, maybe they can shed some light on the issue. If you have the VIN of the car that the transmission came from, maybe they call tell you what all the correct clutch parts are.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC