Steve, I think you'll find that pumping the brakes is effective. You may also find that the static pressure and residual pressure are different after as little as a quarter-mile. Meaning, if you pump them up for one stop at a light, they will not stay pressurized by the next light, almost as is it was a gravity-fed, fluidic-pressure operated system or something.
Which ... uh ... It is. So be careful with stopping distances, as you said. Following distances are really double or triple what they would be for a modern, low-end car. Not having good, grabby brakes means you have to stop defensively.
If you use the gearbox for deceleration, try to match the revs you shifted out of when you're slotting into the next-lower gear. I don't ever downshift into first, and I always put it into first by way of second coming away from the light. You're in neutral, the light changes, foot on clutch, walk to second, then slot forward to first and release the clutch.
No real gas until the car is in motion and your foot is either off or just about off the clutch pedal. All other shifting I do, it's hop on the clutch, match revs, shift, bop off the clutch, shifting in the neighborhood of 2,500-3,000 revs if I'm behaving myself. It's probably just because I've always driven it that way, but I don't seem to have mechanical problems with my clutch, either.
I've replaced it once in ten years.
David, regarding the Peoria gig, I'm all in as I pass through. Kinda limited on those dates, though. My son's going to meet me in St. Louis at his grandparents' house, and my time with him is limited to a few precious weeks a year.
