Non-Audi Clutch question

[SOP8920@Siena.edu]

Hi folks,
        Apologies to the list for the non-audi question. Hit the D key now if
offended. 
        Anyway, I was driving to a summer cottage up in the Adirondack Mtns
today. We were driving my friend's Dorf Mustang convertible, cresting a hill
when he pushes in the clutch to coast us down. Upon pressing the clutch, we
here a Moderately loud "Bang" and he reports that the clutch is "gone." 
        A few minutes later, with one side jacked up, I find that the clutch
cable is snapped off at the "ball" where it connects to the transmission
housing lever. Sorry for the vague terminology but I really don't know the
proper names for these components.
        Anyway, the cable was frayed off right at the ball end on the lever. 
First, I thought that I could just take some shoe-string and connect the lever
to the frayed cable. Then I realized that when I pulled the lever down (clutch
disengaged), the lever stayed DOWN! I pushed it back up, and it stayed UP!
        Here is my non-audi question.. but maybe it is an Audi question for the
rare models with a cable actuated clutch.. Does the clutch cable both "push and
pull" on cars with a cable actuated clutch? From the remains of the ball-end
off the cable, it looked like it was designed to only pull from the U-shaped
housing on the lever. I would have expected the lever to spring back to
engaged.. but no dice.
        On an Audi note, I can't believe that the damn cable was snapped. 
Hello.. 58K miles on this thing. I've got 158K on an original clutch for
heaven's sake! Sheesh... 
        Last thing... this looks like an amazingly simple job. The car was
towed, another mistake here, to the dealer. I told my friend that he should
drag that thing back up here to school and we should put the cable in
ourselves. Are clutch cables a plug and chug kind of job or what?

        MASSIVE APOLOGIES for the non-Audi content. You folks are my most
trusted knowledge base for Car stuff of all kinds, and much more. Thanks for
being there. 

                               -Osman Parvez
                                89 200q (158K miles)
                                Siena College
                                Albany NY

P.S. The tow truck operator loaded up the 'stang from the back on a hoist-style
truck! In other words, the front end was on the ground.. the back end up in the
air. I said to him, "Hey.. you think that the steering wheel lock is designed
for that kind of turning force?" He gave me a snooty remark about having towed
many times before.. but I did notice that he strapped the seatbelt through the
steering wheel and then locked it in. Man, if that was my car.. I would have
refused to be towed. Then again, I'd insist on a flat-bed.