sloppy Z bar linkage.....probably pilot error

No you can't swap one for the other if you are already close, cuz the wrong one will be waaaay outta line, hence what I said; parallel to the road and at about 90* to the centerline of the car.
Furthermore the wrong one will not bolt on; the holes are in the wrong place. If your Z-bar does not fall in at parallel to the road and at about 90* to the centerline of the car, because the BH end is in the wrong place, then the BH will also have to be changed.
I guess you could move the frame-end ball, to get the Z-bar to be parallel to the road and at about 90* to the centerline of the car, but then you would have to re-engineer the downrod, as it may no longer operate in the firewall window, as it was designed to.
Alternatively, you could re-engineer the Z-bar lever lengths and angles to work in it's new location. Which with the diaphragm clutch,and the removal of the overcenter spring, is doable.............. right up until you install the headers and everything wants to occupy the same real-estate.
Happy HotRodding