I was looking for an older post and ran across yours. I assume you got it fixed? My 2 cents worth. My pedal would stick about an inch before it was up completely. With the motor out I decided to deal with it. I bought new springs for the clutch & brake. The brake pedal shaft was sticking (wedging) in the hole. When I loosened the large bolt the pedal loosened up. I readjusted it & tightened it in position & all is fine. By the way my springs are not hard to stretch .
1953 Chevy 153A 3/4-ton Working on my project since 2015 Follow along in my DITY