question on bleeding a fresh brake system (am i doing this right?)

Yes, more furious pumping just makes more very small air bubbles. If the system is now full of foam, it will not bleed properly.

Leave it overnight to settle, and next day get a rubber hammer and tap the master cylinder, along all the brake lines, and the callipers/wheel cylinders.

Instead of foam, there should now be just a few larger air bubbles trapped in the high spots they should bleed out. Once you have some pedal height, leave it for another day, and bleed it again.

It will eventually come good, but just be patient.

 

awesome, i'll give it a try

 

Bleeding systems that were built from scratch can take a REAL long time to bleed, at least the conventional ways.
I've had to do systems 4, 5, 6, times before I'd get a hard pedal.
Some pointers....first, the conventional "pump it several times" thing works on systems that just need a "just replaced the wheel cylinders" type bleed, but not so good for a completely dry system bleed. It DOES make lots of tiny bubbles whicha are tought to bleed out, as Warpspeed said. Try this gentler approach. Open the bleed screw, slowly press down on the pedal until it's bottomed, close bleeder, then let pedal slowly go back up to the top. Repeat about a hundred times for the whole system. Start at the farthest wheel and work towards the closest.
If you're handy and have some s**** steel, build a "power bleeder" like I did. Get a piece of 1/4 in. steel, enough to cover the top of the master. Drill 2 holes in the top, each above one of the reservoirs. Tap for 1/4" pipe thread. Install some fittings, so you can attach it to an air regulator. I actually plumbed the 2 into a two way valve, then to the regulator, so I just turn the handle to go from one to the other. bend some threaded rod into U bolts and drill 4 holes in the steel to use the U bolts to hold the steel on top of the master, with the U's going under it. Put some gasket material between the steel and the master for a good seal, and tighten up the U bolts.
Turn the regulator completely off, hook up to shop air and connect to the power bleeder. Turn up the air slowly to about 2-3 PSI. Now go bleed the blakes. Be sure the reservoirs are filled to the top, you don[t want to run sry, or you start all over again. This way, you don'[t even have to bench bleed the master. I can take some pis of my set-up if you don't get the picture....it only took about 15-20 min. to make this bleeder, so it saved hours on bleeding a dry system!

 

This is the way that I'd recommend. Brake fluid is a moisture magnate and this method changes the fluid as you bleed it. This method also moves any bubbles that are stuck way up in the system towards the bleeder.

 

Make sure your rear shoes are mechanically adjusted up properly, a**** what has already been said. You will find that the brake pedal will get hard faster and sooner ................
I have also used these before http://www.speedbleeder.com/ but like said you need to start at the MC and than make the rounds.

 

chopolds is this kinda what you made (picture on pg.1) harbor freight has these i guess. may just go pick one up

 

damn, so i bought that thing from harbor freight, followed instructions perfectly, and it seems like im just getting a buch of air. i sat at the back wheel for about 10-15min and i would get a bunch of air and SOME fluid, but definately not enough. do i have an air leak somewhere or something.

 

All the time you put into this and it seems that you are no further along. You need a brake guy to help..... Surely you know someone! I wish for you that my brake guy lived near you, he would have you fixed up in no time!

 

Its going to take time . Keep at it. Make sure that the only open bleeder is the one that you are working.

 

i appreciate the pessimistic words, but i'm gonna get it. if they still work like **** by the time the trucks done, then maybe i'll take it somewhere but until then...

 

Stick to it and you may be the brake guy to go to in the future! I like your at***ude to stick with it... Now that's a HOT RODDER!