‘39 Merc light grinding sound through shifter

[lurk]

Thanks to you guys, I solved an annoying acceleration issue in this low-mile ‘39 Merc. I’ve been packing miles on it the past few days and i’m impressed with how smooth the car operates generally...but there is ONE THING...(isn’t there always?)

I’m getting a light grinding noise that radiates through the shifter. If I grab the shift knob tightly, I dampen the sound to something barely audible. It does it in neutral and in all gears including reverse.

When I press the clutch in it gets VERY slightly louder, but not much.

The transmission shifts effortlessly and the action is one of the smoother manual transmissions I’ve ever had in any car. It’s an OG ‘39 transmission with 33k miles on it, so that part doesn’t really surprise me. I drained the old oil and replaced it with the correct weight GL-1 (I forget the exact weight at the moment, but it was recommended here)

Anybody have any experience with this? Pilot bushing? Starter gear not disengaging?

Any help appreciated.
Thanks.