A few months ago, I bought a 2008 E-150 Cargo Van. The other day, I noticed that there was some grinding noise in the brakes, so today I removed the front brake calipers and found that one of the pins was broken (top pin on driver's side). I'm not 100 sure this was causing the grinding noise as I haven't taken apart the rear brakes yet, but I need to address this problem.
The pin was somewhat seized in the brake caliper bracket, but I was able to remove it with moderate effort and a pair of 7" Knipex pliers. It was completely dry, and has surface rust. So, there must be some rust inside the caliper bracket.
What's a sensible repair? Is it okay for me to do my best to clean out the hole where the pin goes and replace the pins, or is it absolutely necessary to replace the bracket? Any recommendations on how I could clean out the hole where the pin goes? A consideration is that I will only be able to get a remanufactured bracket, so the one I get might not be much better than the one I have.