The heat related issues most common are not a first start issue. They are a long term issue. You may have a bad M/C from the get go or something is wrong with the clutch itself. When I had my clutch issues the first year, it started gradually over the course of a 30 mile trip. The master was leaking inside. The fluid was cooked. I replaced the M/C and slave. I have over 12k miles and 5 years on that same M/C and slave now. All I do is bleed every 6 months. I have no heat shield. Reg moved my line to the top of the foot box a couple of years ago and it made no difference in the color of my fluid at my normal 6 month bleed interval.
To get the right angle (or non-angle) on the rod from the slave, I welded a washer onto the clutch arm in the correct spot.
The slave is from the Mazda pickup. The M/C is a Wilwood part available from any Wilwood dealer. I don't remember the size but it should be stamped on the M/C itself.
