A file works well at not only removing the rusty crud but also keeps the machined notch flat as both sides get planed at the same time. The file only gets the meat of it all then a 3M pad polishes it out. Then a touch of Ford's nickle anti seize.
I should've taken pics but you guys should get the jest of it all.
The main problem lies in having a good tech that can identify a bad piston or other tell tale signs of wear and also to prevent a failure in the future.

 

Well im at 65k and i have another frozen caliper. Its not the slides that are freezing, its the pistons in the caliper itself. I called ford and even though its a reaccuring problem since around 32k with my truck they wont pay for the repair. I didnt think they would but it was worth a shot. They told me to call the dealer that did the work and address the problem with them. Its not there fault, they replaced the parts that failed. Of course they will take it in to fix it again but im not giving them anymore money for calipers, for this will be the 3rd time i have replaced them. i laughed when the woman at ford told me that it must be my driving habits that are causing the problem. She didnt laugh when i told her that the next truck i buy will not be a ford and that i have drivin nothing but since 1986..

 

OK, I see this is an old thread but since I realized something was bad with my caliper last week I came here and searched for similar problems and of course, found almost all the answers. One thing I didn't read anywhere is how difficult it can be to remove the caliper itself. I spent 3 or more hours just trying to get it off, beat it a little, searched online, watched a utube vid, still struggled. I finally got it off from sheer will, though it cost me some cut knuckles and lots of aggravation. Once the caliper was off I noticed one of the pistons was stuck, but the pins were fine. Luckily I now have a donor truck in my yard and went out to take the caliper off that one, but had the same struggle (maybe half hr and more adrenalin) getting it off. I finally realized there are dimples on the back of the pads that sit inside the pistons, so I guess retracting the pistons before removal is the solution to my problem.... unless they are stuck. Ugh! Anyways, I found some nice EBC rotors I had bought over 2 years ago for the old truck my "mechanic" said wouldn't fit, and I put one of those on. The job turned out great, I cleaned up all the parts and got new pads and rotors onto the DS of my truck. Pass side next weekend, hopefully I can do in less than HALF the 10-11 hrs it took to get this one done. I have pics if anyone is interested but I cannot post them, someone would have to do it for me, or can a mod remove the attachment restriction?
ANyway, as always, you guys rock. Your past experiences and knowledge saved my butt again.

Sorry, phone rang and I posted too quickly. I decided to change the 'caliper holder'?? also, but realized that the infamous *stuck pin* WAS an issue on the donor one, so after a good cleaning the original went back on with some grease and no problems. The donor truck caliper worked well so a mix of parts, some new, some old and some older yet, made for a job well done, since I am NOT a mechanic, lol.

Cheers,