clutch sudden mystery

[snoosebomb]

drove up to the end of a logging road , got out of the car / got back in , no clutch ! but the cable [new] was moving, i tried tightening the 18/91 nut but no difference so i assumed something had broken inside . It would only engage 1st , 2nd gear by starting in gear , got out that way & 3,4, 5 would shift w/o clutch. 

Home , checked splines, broken welds [ as Mr kickfix suggests] , compared old cable to new , same length [but outer sheathing had failed.

story short; new cable , cable end nut 18/19 at the lever is now at a point an extra 1'' from the cable tip Free movement at the end of the clutch lever is 1/2 '' 

clutch works fine now , but what the hell happened ? in the past i've dealt with oil sticky clutch plates but this was different , the pedal was very soft

ie ;contrdiction '' The the clutch does not disengage, the pedal height is good, cable new, the 1 inch rule is true so the clutch is bad, why takes looking inside the bell housing, (sorry) ''
vs
''Push start the car in 2nd gear . and (2 man job) key on, in 2nd gear now, and it starts and takes off (driver in seat please), and you drive by matching gear speeds. This is very easy with a good clutch but not a bad one. (locked)''

just checking everything before i think about '' the big job ''
'
just found this comment @ another site ; ''I have had them kink on me in the woods numerous times and I had to drive out with no clutch '' referring to the cable , mine was kinked also but just the out sheath, the inner cable was fine , so i have disregarded it , strange ,,

[fixkick]

well it failed, all do even 100,000 old.

the acid test with good cable bad cluck is simple set the free play at pedal not 1" but zero play
makes sure lever at bottom on bell is tight and no play there
now test the pedal.
if clutch does not release the actual clutch is bad.
the lever on the bell has an index mark too (a prick punch mark, factory ) and must be spline aligned there.
the free play only save the throw-out bearing from early death. so this is only that and acid test.

you are doing great doing all the test right I see.