Ta. I have seen (online) several xbr's with the hangers shortened right down, but looking closely at the pics, I see no evidence of the pedal return spring being relocated. Last night, it occurred to me that there are 3 springs acting on that same pivot point — one on the brake rod, one on the switch and the dedicated one anchored between the hanger and middle arm. I reckon the others just left off the latter, or beefed up one/both of the others.
So, are you going for a stand alone milling machine, or an add-on for the lathe? 😎🤑