I have personally always fitted flat finger clutches with correct thrust bearing and have always used pivot spacers with all of those, however the 2 bent finger types I have come across neither had pivot spacers and both were just normally worn out clutches! Both of those were replaced with flat type clutch and for both I sourced pivot spacer.

So based on the above my assumption (assumption=mother of all **** ups lol) is that bent finger clutches didn't need pivot spacers.

Whenever fitting a clutch as soon as the box is bolted and x member loosely fitted , next step should be to connect your cable or slave cyl and check adjustment, free play, stroke,pedal feel etc. you will have a chance to pick up on any issues early in the job and you can quickly just flick it out again if need be.

Cheers

 
From the photos you certainly did have the wrong bearing for the clutch type. The new bearing you have is the right type.
 
As Nicholas said, i too have used several of both clutch types and have ALWAYS needed the fork spacer block. But the advice of RS2000 is also sound. Refit the box either with or without the spacer and immediately fit the cable and test to see if the pedal feels right and that you still have plenty of adjustment left in the cable.  
 
At least you have an auto shell so other than the bench pressing of the gearbox weight putting the box in is fairly simple. its a pain in the clacker with a manual shell!

^ Sure is.  Just did my type 9 off and back on again (fork spacer came loose) in a manual tunnel.  Never again - the whole lot is coming out if there is a next time!

For the record. Clutch is working as per normal with no spacer. Cheers

This may be an old thread, but I must say that it is a very useful one. My number 2 project has had a dodgy clutch since the day I test drove it, engaging immediately the pedal was moved from the floor. I knew it wasn't right, and figured it just needed a spacer block put in, as it was orginally a 1.6L car and now has a Pinto in it.  Well last week it completely died, and after towing the car home I started pulling the gearbox out using the long bolt method described above.
 
What I found inside the bellhousing surprised me, and some of it I would not have known to look for but for the contributions of others here. The clutch fork was bent (handy having a spare to compare it to), some plastic parts of the throw out bearing were broken (tip - always use an all-metal bearing), the bearing itself was the wrong type for the fingers of the pressure plate (learned that here), and the spacer block used with Pinto motors looked home made and was extremely loose (bolt was practically free).
 
While the gearbox was out I figured I'd drain the oil seeing I had no idea how long it had been in there. It was grey and miserably looking, so I'm glad I did, but I nearly blew it by using GL-5 spec oil. Never use GL-5 oil in a Type 9 (or Type E etc.), even if it is marked as GL-4/GL-5; read this for why:http://www.widman.biz/uploads/Transaxle_oil.pdf. I eventually found a correct GL-4 spec oil at a local distributor, which was a pleasant surprise. I'm hoping it also improves the shift quality when the trans is cold.
 
The new Cortina speedo drive made by First Line is the prefect length to use with a Type 9 in an Escort, but the flange is too thick to use the factory retaining circlip, so a bodge was needed to stop it falling out (cable ties to the rescue). I also found a split steering gaiter, so had to replace that and refill the rack with fluid. Of course the tie rod end was practically welded to the strut, so I had to destroy it in the process of getting it off. The radiator was pretty worse for wear, so a quick sandblast of the frame to get the rust off and a new paint job later and it at least looks better. I also put in a new gearbox saddle bush, which tightened up the shift a bit and reverse is now finally locked out. The cheap bushes on ebay are likely to have flashing on the bottom like both mine did, so if you buy one be sure to check and cut it off before fitting.
 
Everything apart from the radiator is back in, and a quick test of the clutch has revealed that it feels completely normal now, with take up somewhere in the middle of pedal travel. What started off as a fix for a dodgy clutch sure  consumed a lot of time (and curse words seeing I did it mostly single handedly), but it's a relief that it's done and has been done right the first time. So thank you to all the contributors to this thread, which helped me enormously. A special thanks goes to Ash who graciously welded a strengthening plate to my replacement clutch lever, thereby eliminating another bent fork in the future.

Great to hear Flighter. I was supplied one of those Firstline cables from SMCKA a few years ago. Had the same problem of not fitting under the circlip. I got around it by carefully filing away the aluminium flange to reduce its thickness.

thanks to you all for this thread, as a mechanical learner still without a project car yet, it has been very good summary of what to look for and what to avoid. As most of the cars I have seen online are autos, can I ask if manual gearboxes such as the type 9 mentioned  are still able to be found, and does it matter if an auto'd car with lower compression 2L is an issue?
 

My 2¢ worth - in terms of shells, take what you can get, as decent cars are hard to find. I wouldn't be put off by an auto. Sure, they have lower compression, but if the engine is original, it is probably tired and in need of a spruce up, at which time you can put higher compression pistons in. As many have noted, the auto tunnel affords a little more room to work around a manual transmission. When swapping from auto to manual, you will have to weld onto the firewall a little tube for the clutch cable to fit into, and will of course need a pedal box out of a manual car.
 
The standard 4 speed Type E gearbox is stronger than the Sierra 5 speed Type 9, the latter of which only benefits from an extra gear; the ratios are otherwise the same (V6 box excluded). My #1 project is retaining the stock 4 speed, but the #2 project came with a 5 speed already installed. The expense and hassle of swapping from 4 speed to 5 speed isn't worth it to me (the box is longer, so it needs new mounts, a shorter tailshaft, a longer speedo cable, a new transmission tunnel and repositioned gear lever hole, but admittedly, it was a good selling point given the other problems with the car. A 4 speed can be picked up for very little money (under $100 I'd say), whereas the 5 speeds are much harder to get and prices are significantly higher.

thanks Flighter, appreciate the tips.
 
That summary is worth way more than 2C.
 

Shouldn't require a shorter tailshaft. Just a custom mount and reposition shifter hole. What makes the type 9 weaker than the 4 speed?