My brakes are 'chuckling' on start up. ABS lights up after skid lights comes on then goes out

[GreenMagicMan]

Have the - what I have read - standard generic left rear ABS fault code.
I've read these cars always throw that no matter what the issue is, and it's frequently the brake 'computer' thingie.

The car stutters and makes a 'chuckling' noise on start up most times, exactly as if the system is doing a self check - then flunks itself and illuminates/ flashes the skid warning about 1-3x then that stops happening. The ABS light then stays on.

Driving back from NYC two days ago hit bad traffic. Most of us had to hit the brakes moderately hard over a pass to stopped traffic.
Right after this, I started hearing the tell tale signs of a rotor being scraped by worn to bare metal brake pads. (I know the sound well).
And then some bangs and very unusual - I've never heard this stuff - noises coming from as best we can tell the driver front. It's definitely the front. After driving it for a short distance without braking (maybe a couple miles?) the noises stop and the scraping noise stops.

Braking again, the noises return. Also, low speeds the steering wheel lurches / pulls to side and returns over and over jerking a small bit back and forth. At speed the car is shaking / vibrating.

I checked late at night after getting home and the front rotors look like mirror smooth - no scrape marks from pads. The outer pads are about brand new. The rotors were replaced recently before I bought the car.
I had the driver side completely apart to do a wheel bearing (sh*t) job a couple weeks back.
Was having some vibrations after the wheel bearing job but it was much improved.
I recently swapped the two front wheels out for very good treaded Volvo wheels. The vibration trouble stopped (as much as it will for a 18 year old car). Drove it 70-85 mph for a few hours and it was running better than it ever has and smoother for the entire year we've owned it since it was bought at auction.
Now vibration is back - with newer set of wheels and tires up front.

Any thoughts what the heck I should be looking for?
I factory torqued all the bolts back up (LBJ, caliper, axle bolt, strut pinch bolt, tie rod end, new sway bar end link installed). I did NOT install a new axle pinch bolt as I only found it later in the 'empty' wheel bearing box. So I could go install a new one today but I doubt that's any part of this issue.

[GreenMagicMan]

I did look under the car and anything I could see with wheels parked straight. Nothing looks disconnected or broken in the suspension on the front. About to pull the front driver wheel off and see if I can find anything.
If nothing, I'll continue to remove the caliper and examine that as well.

[GreenMagicMan]

I tore apart driver side and braking system on passenger front.
I replaced the rotor and pads on driver. The pads were worn unevenly down to almost wear bar line on inside pad and had plenty of pad left on outer but I did them anyway as they were worn unevenly.
The passenger side was too good to replace it all so I pulled it apart then put it all back with the parts I inspected.

HOWEVER, by accident I discovered a tumor - like 1/3 of a tennis ball sticking out of the tire and the tire is slashed to bare / broken metal. I can only assume due to sh*t NY roads that they cannot be bothered to maintain, a pothole or something in the road slashed the tire. This accounts absolutely for all the sudden vibration and yanking steering wheel - each time it would rotate on this huge lump.

The tire started to cup and tear a little tiny spot on the inside as well from getting violently shoved around under highway speeds for 180 miles. I am not sure any of this would explain the banging or the scraping noise that sounds 1000% exactly like shot to bare metal pads gouging a rotor (none of that happened here).

I pulled every suspension member on both sides, the axles, the tie rod ends, the sway bar end links, the LBJ and the strut springs. There was no inappropriate movement anywhere. No leaks on any axle boot (CV inner and outers). I had recently replaced the driver lower control arm with LBJ, the sway bar end link and rebuilt the CV axle with new inner boot and grease after the LCA exploded on me in November.

I will be replacing both front wheels with the wheels that was on this car a week and about 800 miles ago with the original wheels and fresher tires and see if any of these problems remain.

The passenger side lower control arm has a hole in it of rot / rust right at the top front connection to the car. Yay. That looks wonderful. And reminds me all too well of the exploding driver side LCA... so that needs to be replaced very soon.

[GreenMagicMan]

Anyway... follow up.
The brake scraping noise (just like a worn out pad tearing into the rotor) is gone
The banging knocking is gone.

All I did is put in new brake pads and a new rotor I had on hand to the driver front side. The car drove normally after that. After about 12 miles I replaced the failing front tire with two matching tires on the original Enkei rims that came with my car.
The vibration problem is gone. Although there is a slight vibration to the used matching tire I installed (figures).

Not sure what happened here. The pads had won unevenly on the driver side. I cannot tell visually if the rotor warped.
I ordered a Moog lower control arm today for the suspicious / scary looking passenger from LCA. Hope to have that in next week.

[abscate]

Missed this one. Uneven pad wear is usually a sticking caliper or rusty caliper guide. Make sure the caliper moves smoothly on the slider

[GreenMagicMan]

Ok thanks, will look into that.
I simply replaced the pads and rotor.
Not sure why the ABS 'chuckles' on startup when first start to move. It vibrates and makes noises clamping / unclamping the pads I believe and the 'traction slipping' warning light illuminates when that happens, then the vibrations / chuckling noise stops and light goes out and off the car drives normally (perhaps with ABS disabled I have no idea).