I did go in from above.
My brakes were not releasing correctly, and I thought it was the front master cylinder sticking. Once I got the entire pedal cluster out, I found that it was the balance bar mechanism that was binding. On inspection, it turned out that one of the pins that keeps the threaded ball retained in one of the two rod ends wasn't functioning. Because the ball was free to turn on the shaft, there was too much play in the mechanism, allowing the system to bind, preventing the brakes from releasing completely.
For me, the difficulty in removing the pedal cluster had mostly to do with unscrewing the hydraulic lines from the master cylinders. Well, that and getting things sufficiently out if the way to actually reach them. It would have helped if I were a contortionist midget with girl hands.