Front disc brake backing plate - needed?

[dls141]

I replaced the old small rotor front brakes with 11" Grenada rotors and GM metric calipers using the Heidts custom bracket on the old Mustang II spindles. The setup seems to work well.

But I'm a little concerned that I had to remove the old backing plate/dust plate from the spindle since the new rotors are a good 2+ inches larger and it just wouldn't fit.

But now I'm wondering if I should try to find a larger plate that would work with the spindles and larger disc or is it OK to just drive it like it is?

Any ideas? Experiences? Thanks!![url='http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1089&pictureid=8078']

[mreid]

95% or more of the cobras on this site don't use them, so you should join the party. Glad to hear you upgraded from those puny stock Mustang II 9" brakes.

[FWB]

Originally Posted by dls141

I replaced the old small rotor front brakes with 11" Grenada rotors and GM metric calipers using the Heidts custom bracket on the old Mustang II spindles. The setup seems to work well.

But I'm a little concerned that I had to remove the old backing plate/dust plate from the spindle since the new rotors are a good 2+ inches larger and it just wouldn't fit.

But now I'm wondering if I should try to find a larger plate that would work with the spindles and larger disc or is it OK to just drive it like it is?

Any ideas? Experiences? Thanks!![url='http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1089&pictureid=8078']

i have the same setup installed, from Heidt's, i opted for the wilwood calipers, and the old "hats" as they are called, don't fit, to modify them would make them useless anyway so i have been running for 5 years without them. the only purpose i see them for is to keep dirt and debris from getting on the rotor. with the GM ones you might be able to use a GM hat, i dunno......you'll need to redrill for mounting at the very least.

lol i don't do alot of dirt road cruising so i don't see much of an issue in not having them, i have noticed there are Chinese universal ones out there, but i have more important projects to worry about to focus on them right now

[G-Pete]

The only thing what dust shields do is, keep the dust off the inside of the rim. Nobody washes the rims on steel or pretty closed stock rims. That leads to deposit of metal dust and can offset the balance of the wheels.
A good tire can last 50.000 miles and more and will be never of the rim unless for rotating (many drivers don't do that anyway). Cobra drivers clean their cars and there is very little brake dust on the rims anyway.

Long story short - you don't need them.

[dls141]

Thanks for the inputs! Much appreciated. And the upgrade is well worth it!!

[G-Pete]

...just found a picture of an Porsche 911 GTS without dust shield, pretty much self explaining.