You don't have a "linkage" - it's hydraulic, with an internal slave cylinder built into to the throwout bearing. Try bleeding it first - the low speeds from off-roading, coupled with the fact that you probably haven't changed the hydraulic fluid in YEARS (it's DOT3 brake fluid, you honestly should change it - and your brake fluid - every two years...) has probably combined to get some moisture in the lines (which has since boiled, and you've gotten gas pockets in the hydraulic fluid.)
Bleed first - I'm sure you'll note a significant improvement in clutch operation. The bleed nipple is on the driver's side of the bellhousing, as I recall.
5-90
