Stubborn downshifting into 1st and 2nd at speed

[seaaggiedallas]

So I recently completed installation of an only944 firewall bracket, and before then, even with the firewall problems, shifting was pretty smooth. After bleeding, the clutch pedal is nice and stiff now and there is no movement on the firewall

Unfortunately, I may have created another problem. I think I got the clutch pedal adjustment and bleeding done correctly, but shifting has been a little difficult, and the problem seems to be developing. The car has a relatively new clutch, clutch master, clutch slave, all lines, tranny fluid, and obviously the brace.
The problem is that downshifting while moving has become much more difficult and requires much force at the shifter. Sometimes i have to turn the car off, put it into gear and the start up again. Unless I pretend I am pushing my foot through the floor with the clutch pedal, downshifting is just about impossible. So it seems that the harder I push the pedal, the better I am able to shift. The pedal returns to position as it should, so it doesnt SEEM like air in the system, but what the hell do I know. The hardest gears to get into are 1st and second, but all of them are a little notchy, even worse so when downshifting and when the car is moving. I can shift through all the gears like butter when the car is off, so that makes me think synchros are in good shape, and the problem definitely is worse on the left side of the shifter (1st and 2nd). BTW, the car is running all original shifter and linkages


So I feel I am stuck with one or more of these problems:

incorrectly adjusted clutch pedal (I may not have adjusted the clutch pedal correctly after the brace installation), air in the system, or shift linkage issues at the shifter (still using the original shifter and is a high mileage car)

Im at a total loss

What do yall think? Would some new shift linkages and a shifter help, or is it a clutch activation problem? or even worse, a transmission issues?

Thanks for any insight,