My experience is that old school brake levers were never designed to point to the heavens, you are asking for it to work similar to how a modern lever would. Modern brake levers/shifters are designed to point upward while maintaining a relatively flat plain in line with the top of the bar with the actual lever remaining within reach while in the drops. This is accomplished with proper ergonomics in mind in order to be able to actuate the brakes while riding the hood or down in the drops. Older styles are just not designed for this and when you get one to work in one dimension, they typically do not work so well in the other. Compared to modern brake lever/shifter combos, they have a rather narrow area of operation, some better than others. Those that the OP has are not as easy to setup as say a late 80s Dura Ace lever. Just my opinion through many years of cockpit setup experience. YMMV as always.