Hanksdirtbike

I have a 1976 TY175 with clutch and shifting problems. It shifts very hard: I cleaned and greased the shifter mechanism under the countershaft sprocket but it is still not the usual smooth shifting normally expected from a Yamaha. It has a hard "click" to shift. The shaft that the clutch is mounted has considerable endplay. When you push/pull on the shaft there is about .030" movement. The clutch does not have a consistent engagement/disengagement. How much endplay should I expect from a transmission shaft and could this be the problem with the stiff shifting? I am under the gun here as I plan to ride next month at the Oklahoma AHRMA event. I am thinking that whoever last worked on the bike forgot a transmission shim. I am trying to vet all ideas before splitting the cases.

My 1977 TY175 (new to me) clutch engages very late and is hard to control in a section. The cable is lubed, the actuator cam is new and greased, fibre plates new with flat metal plates. Do I need to lengthen the actuator arm? What am I missing? Help is appreciated. I am looking for a smooth controllable clutch engagement as opposed to an off/on switch.