Driving home from thre powder coating shop today and all of a sudden this horrific metal-on-metal noise starts up from the rear passenger side.
Towed the car to PCH Garage for a checkout on the lift.
Turned out the bolt holding the dust shield vibrated loose and the head began rubbing on the rotor. Whew.....that was sweet. I’m back on the road, glad to have caught in now instead of finding it happening on the trip to Monterey next month

Damn Jim. That's even beautiful on a flatbed! Glad it wasn't something major.

Thanks; the lesson is to use Loctite on those rotor dust cover bolts and tighten to spec...

I had a pebble get in between the gravel shield and the rotor once......made the scariest grinding noise.

Hope to see you in the crowd in September Jim.

Toss the dust shields for better brake cooling.

Good point. I already removed the fronts...

I've had pebbles and once a rusty nail get between the dust cover and the rotor. What a racket!

I've also put my spare on and had my lug bolts go THUNK THUNK THUNK against the dust cover becasue they were for alloy wheels which are thicker then steel. That was my impetus for moving to wheel studs and lug nuts. No one wants to deal with THAT nonsense.

Zach

A lot of people have a steel spare and don't realize their alloy wheel bolts are too long and will hit the rotor - until they are stuck on the side of the road.

Will a 1/4” wheel spacer solve that ?

Yes.
But so would lug bolts for a steel wheel or simply going to wheel studs and lug nuts. IMO, getting a spacer for the spare just makes things more complicated. Studs also make the tire easier to change if/when you have to.

Zach