Sounds like you have the puck permanently against the hole not allowing any bypass. If that is the case, you have something else like an exhaust leak preventing higher boost.
Do you still have the factory setup of vacuum lines and Tee? If not, that will also limit your boost. It actually allows the wastegate to see less boost and tricks it into spooling more to give you more boost. It is a controlled leak.
It would take alot of pull on the rod to bend the bracket so I think you do have something else going on.
