Brake bleading ?

[memgrove]

First the history, Two years ago I had to swap out rear ends in the 1998 4 X 4 1500 z71 ext cab. It now has a rear end from a 96 1500 but that is all the info I had on it... I serviced the "new" rear end before the install and replaced all the brakes except the lines. Drums, shoes, wheel cylinders, hardware kits (it is much easier to do on the bench). After that we bleed out the system... to get a spongy peddle... Then figured we toasted the Master cylinder so we replaced it... bleed out the system... peddle not as spongy... safe to drive... 1 quick pump, then on the second push the brakes would put you in the windshield! I drove it that way for a year till Friday... After reading the Chilton manual I need to hold a pin on the abs thing while bleeding... So with a C-Clamp holding the pin we bleed out the system again and broke both front bleeders... Replaced the calipers... bleed out again and have no peddle and the !?brake?! light on the dash is on.

So here is the question. If I hold the ABS pin "IN" while bleeding I get the worst results but this is what the manual says to do. Should I just forget holding the pin "IN" to get back to spongy but reliable peddle, OR set the whole thing on FIRE? Could the abs system be causing this? Is there a "trick" to bleeding the ABS system?

Sorry for the long post, I appreciate your help. Mike