1988 Dodge Dakota Replaced brake lines

I'm confused.

"... The pedal only goes down about a quarter of the way after I bleed the rear wheels, then I don't have any brakes".

Do you mean the pedal won't go down further? That sounds like a good solid pedal to me, so the brakes must be working.

It sounds like you are more than just a do-it-yourselfer, but to be safe, let me say, do not ever push the pedal down more than half way while bleeding the brakes on any vehicle more than a few years old. A bunch of crusty stuff builds up in the bottom of the two bores in the master cylinder where the seals normally don't run. By pushing the pedal to the floor, like a lot of people tell you to do, you run the seals over that crud and rip them. I realize this doesn't match your description, but it bears mentioning. I tell my students to pretend there's a 4 x 4 block of wood under the pedal.

You said you can't get the brakes to bleed, but you have fluid there, so I'm confused what the actual problem is. Did you get it figured out yet?

Caradiodoc