Having invested a few million hours on this topic myself, I learned that the greater the clamping pressure of the clutch, the more travel that is required to fully disengage. I too did the 1" master with the standard issue 7/8" push-type slave. No problem getting the necessary amount of travel, but the Hulk would have experienced difficulty pushing the pedal. I dropped back to the 3/4" large-capacity master. My clutch is finally working well (no grinding) and pedal pressure is much lighter. I did extend the pedal rod a bit for increased travel. With over 400 Lbs of torque at the rear end, I was eating lighter-duty clutches. The current system is good.
427SC, Torch Red / white stripes
427 Windsor Stroker from Southern Automotive
Delicious example of Beauty + Power.