Header/Clutch linkage help please!

On my '69 I put the transmission and the engine together and then dropped them in the car. When the engine was almose seated in the mounts, I slipped the headers in. I bolted them down and then realized that they pinched the clutch fork. It wouldn't even move and the headers wouldn't seal. After moving the headers out of the way, I ended up using a dremmel tool and cut the outer part of the fork (where the return spring attaches) as short as I could without getting rid of the spring hole. I basically removed the 'ears' and cut the fork so that it tapers down at the spring end. I put a little notch in the side of the fork so that the return spring would have somewhere to sit (i put it through the hole but the notch kept rest of the loop from moving around and touching the header). I also dented the crap out of the offending header tube - use a propane torch, it makes the denting a little easier. I now have enough clearance that the clutch fork will move freely and not touch the header (barely).