After finishing my brake hose replacement and bleeding the brakes I took a test drive. They were much improved but the pedal travel seemed excessive. However, it was firm, not spongy, so air in the lines was not the problem.
Then I remembered that there is an adjustment spec for pedal free play. When I checked the brake pedal by hand, it had a lot of slop before the push rod made contact with the master cylinder piston. Checked Haynes and the spec is 1 mm. I suspect I had at least 10. Out came the carpet and toe board, loosened the lock nut and lengthened the push rod until there was about 1 mm of free play. Problem solved.
My theory is that over time the rubber pedal stop (shared by clutch and brake pedals) compresses, allowing the pedal to come up farther. Sometimes the stop is missing. Adjusting the master cylinder pushrod will compensate.