Ford explorer

No the dust shield is clear , it only grinds when breaking , and its very loud . The wheel bearing is a possibility I guess but it only grinds when breaking, I would guess the bearing would grind when turning as well , especially as bad as they grind it Sound like the wheels are conning off this thing .

Have you made sure the pads where not installed backwards? The back of the pads are metal.

Wow, has someone actually done that ? No they aren't backwards .

I have seen it. A guy brought his Bronco in to a friends shop and the rotors were hamburger after a relative changed the brake pads.

I have a feeling it's the passenger side wheel bearing , but i thought maybe an extra opnion would help before I dump $ 160 on the old xlt.

Yes, some people have done that. While teaching my son (at age 20 and not mechanically inclined) how to change brakes, I did the passenger side and he did the drivers side. A day later he came home with a complaint about a grinding noise. Yes, he installed the pads backward and I did not check his work.