So after reading for about 1.5 hours on tranny noise threads, I can't seem to get a good answer.
Short
I get a weird noise from my car when I release the clutch out slowly. first time it happened it was at a stop sign the second time it's going up my driveway. it sounds like metal scraping on cement. and lasts about 1 second. It's not a short grind, but not very long. Seems to happen while letting go of clutch, and moving slowly.
weird thing is it happends rarely, and all other gears shift like butter, like the day i picked her up. It's a 97, so 10 years old never gave me a prob, in the last 5 years.

let me know what you guys think. it could be time for a new clutch too.

 

Clutch spring loose in its little carrier maybe?

 

i don't know. It seems to happen 1 or 2 times a day, it's always from a dead start going up a slight hill or stopped and turning sharply.

if it is a loose carrier spring, would this be a thing where i would have to stop driving to prevent damage? I have to get a professional to take the thing apart, so if the condition isn't too bad, i'd like to wait till next year so i can have money to rebuild the tranny with new quaife and maybe new FD.
if it's a bad situation waiting to get worse, I guess i have no choice.

 

thanks for helping!