Yes, that is exactly what happened. The pressure plate in the new kit was, I guess, the new "short" type. I used the original TOB collar from My early 1971 car. Not realizing the pressure plate difference...because this is my first Z and every vendor lists just one type of standard clutch kit for 1970-73 cars, I put it back in the car and was only getting partial disengagement. I pulled the tranny out and measured as mentioned in this thread and it was way off.
So now I'm waiting for a 280Z TOB collar to make up the difference. I also ordered another clutch kit from a different vender to see if the pressure plate is different.
I also have a 1973 engine/transmission that has the non adjustable clutch fork set up and the TBO collar was different from the 1971...it was about .25 inches longer...so there must have been different pressure plates used during production. None of this is ever mentioned when ordering clutch kits today!
I will be installing the new components this weekend and post the results.
Thanks for responding!