car is a 95 celica ST with a Blacktop swap. transmission is a 5 speed.
the issue im having is when i shift into 2nd gear and release the clutch pedal the transmission grinds, but it does not grind until i start releasing the pedal. sometimes it will engage second gear no problems but most of the time it just grinds.
ive just been skipping second gear for now. doesnt seem to be a synro issue because it does not grind when i select second with the clutch pedal pressed down, im HOPING its a linkage issue, if the transmission is shot its not the end of the world just hoping perhaps it might be linkage.

anyone had a similar issue?

also if the car is off and i put it into second gear and rock the car it makes a grinding noise and the clutch is obviously not engaged because the car rolls, all other gears are fine.

Sounds like a problem with your selector or cables. I bet it's not quite pulling far enough to get all the way into second.

the rubber bushings on the ends of the cables that go onto the selectors have quite a bit of slop in them, is there a solid alternative vs the rubber bushings?