Puncturing the residual or relief valve on a drum brake actuator so it will accomodate disc brakes is not the best way to go. TieDown for example, as well as Titan, recommends removing the valve completely. TieDown is emphatic in telling you to remove the valve rather than puncturing the valve. It's not a difficult job taking the valve out, but it will cut into your spare time. More the reason to do it before the fishng gets serious. In short, removing the valve is foolproof, puncturing the the valve is not.
I strongly suspect that some of the high heat, fast and uneven wear on pads, are directly related to the above.