well the synchros are against the gears in the transmission, the clutch is just a disk that is squeezed.
if you look, the ends are the gears number 4 is the blocker ring, and the middle piece is the actula synchro. the blocker ring is what goes bad, it is a ring that fits over a piece of the shaft. the ring is tapered inside, and is ment to hold oil and then when the gearshift is moved to the gear, a ring overtop of the synchro pushes the blocker ring onto the shaft, which squeezes the gear out and grabs the gear, then you can click into gear. it is at this point synchronized
on the gear itself there are little teeth like on the blocker ring, when you grind, the big ring that slides on the synchro is grinding against those teeth.
just for anybody curious
basically, if synchromesh doesnt work, you need to overhaul, or wait for it to be dead and get another transmission. i have an 85 so conviently for sale if you (or anybody who bumps on here iwth a grinding problem) need it