In order to remove/replace the front calipers on my '69 F250, do I NEED to remove the brake flex hose @ the hard line connection on the frame, or can I remove the caliper bolts, lift up the caliper, and spin the caliper around and around to un-screw the hose?

Sounds kinda half-assed, but the hose doesn't swivel at the caliper, and at the fixed frame end, I've already rounded the little nut fitting that screws into the hose, THAT ain't coming out unless I destroy it, and replace the WHOLE hard line, which I am reluctant to do...

 

You should be able to just remove the caliper from its bracket by removing the two large bolts and turning it. I am assuming you are talking about dual piston calipers?

 

A couple weeks ago I packed my front wheel bearings...the caliper is pretty free once the bolts are off. Just make sure you don't let it hang by itself, tugging on the flex line (I know that's common sense but I'd rather be safe than sorry by at least mentioning that). I used an old cooler which was just high enough for the caliper to sit on when I wasn't handling it.

 

Can't remember if they're dual-piston, but the piston(s) are on one side of the disc, and the caliper slides on big pins as it clamps...

So are you confirming my assumption by saying "...and turning it."? The caliper can be un-screwed from the flex line by "turning it" over and over until the hose backs all the way out?

I don't see any other way to remove the caliper, just seems kinda funny to me to imagine a Ford garage doing this; but I guess they'd remove the flex line from the other end, and if the hard line gets damaged in the process, just replace it...

 

No reason you can't do it that way. I have even replaced wheel cylinders in that fashion when it was obvious the brake line nut was seized to the brake line and I was going to twist the line off.