LCG Builds

[21Moja]

My Mojave is Jeep number 6, which only means I have spent a lot of needless money and learned a couple of things along the way...I want this Jeep to be a LCG build since it seems like a great beginning platform. I would love to see other LCG builds out there to see what you have done. Experiences off-road with it, issues, things you would change, etc...

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[Artsifrtsi]

LCG builds are horrible for on-road. For higher speed driving, such as what your Mojave is built for, you'll need an equal amount of wheel travel so you don't bottom out your suspension. LCG build also will necessitate a complete reengineer and replacement of the stock suspension to accommodate the stance and travel. LCG will most certainly get hung up more than you will want in rocks and also in mud, due to the body/chassis being lower.

Leave the LCG builds to the mall crawlers and the full buggies, you're looking at a lot of money and frustration going that route.

 

[Mjolnir]

LCG builds are horrible for on-road. For higher speed driving, such as what your Mojave is built for, you'll need an equal amount of wheel travel so you don't bottom out your suspension. LCG build also will necessitate a complete reengineer and replacement of the stock suspension to accommodate the stance and travel. LCG will most certainly get hung up more than you will want in rocks and also in mud, due to the body/chassis being lower.

Leave the LCG builds to the mall crawlers and the full buggies, you're looking at a lot of money and frustration going that route.

Huh? I wouldn't say that is true at all. Metalcloak markets their lifts coupled with their fenders as LCG builds, which I have used for almost a decade across multiple jeeps. Unless I am think of LCG builds differently than you are, then I do not agree with your statement at all.

LCG builds to be are builds with smaller lifts with massive wheel travel accommodated by fenders, or lack there of if the state permits. (This is MY understanding of LCG Builds)

 

[jeepers29]

Huh? I wouldn't say that is true at all. Metalcloak markets their lifts coupled with their fenders as LCG builds, which I have used for almost a decade across multiple jeeps. Unless I am think of LCG builds differently than you are, then I do not agree with your statement at all.

LCG builds to be are builds with smaller lifts with massive wheel travel accommodated by fenders, or lack there of if the state permits.

I think he must have thought you were going to lower your rig.

 

[Gvsukids]

I think he must have thought you were going to lower your rig.

Weren't that being LGC rigs? Lower ground clearance?

My Mojave is Jeep number 6, which only means I have spent a lot of needless money and learned a couple of things along the way...I want this Jeep to be a LCG build since it seems like a great beginning platform. I would love to see other LCG builds out there to see what you have done. Experiences off-road with it, issues, things you would change, etc...

Good thing to search for in
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/forums/build-rig-journals.76/

 

[21Moja]

LCG builds are horrible for on-road. For higher speed driving, such as what your Mojave is built for, you'll need an equal amount of wheel travel so you don't bottom out your suspension. LCG build also will necessitate a complete reengineer and replacement of the stock suspension to accommodate the stance and travel. LCG will most certainly get hung up more than you will want in rocks and also in mud, due to the body/chassis being lower.

Leave the LCG builds to the mall crawlers and the full buggies, you're looking at a lot of money and frustration going that route.

Yeah, this makes no sense to me whatsoever...The day I see a mall crawler that has taken the time and effort to properly do LCG I will let you know.

 

[21Moja]

Weren't that being LGC rigs? Lower ground clearance?

Good thing to search for in
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/forums/build-rig-journals.76/

Low Ground clearance and low center of gravity are NOT the same thing...

 

[aceisback]

Just stopped by because I had no idea what LCG was. Still don’t. Then LGC came up and threw me further off. So while I still have no idea, I do know a little about LBC.

 

[bleda2002]

Just stopped by because I had no idea what LCG was. Still don’t. Then LGC came up and threw me further off. So while I still have no idea, I do know a little about LBC.

I'm with you random ambiguous acronym makes no sense to me. I thought it was a liquid compressed gas like switching to the natural gas like a school bus

 

[@californiajeeping]

My Mojave is Jeep number 6, which only means I have spent a lot of needless money and learned a couple of things along the way...I want this Jeep to be a LCG build since it seems like a great beginning platform. I would love to see other LCG builds out there to see what you have done. Experiences off-road with it, issues, things you would change, etc...

That would be fitting 40's with no lift. that would be LCG. You can do this with fender deletes on the mojave. Then you will need to adjust your bump stops to keep the tire from bottoming out at full stuff.

You could get pretty close honestly but your uptravel will not be great.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

That would be fitting 40's with no lift. that would be LCG. You can do this with fender deletes on the mojave. Then you will need to adjust your bump stops to keep the tire from bottoming out at full stuff.

You could get pretty close honestly but your uptravel will not be great.

What you are proposing, is what the mall crawler would call a LCG...

OP would need to fab and install extended relocation brackets for both the springs and shocks, or for coil-overs; major wheel opening cutting; likely wider axles; etc... All in all to properly do it he'd be looking at adding in another $30-40k.

 

[@californiajeeping]

What you are proposing, is what the mall crawler would call a LCG...

OP would need to fab and install extended relocation brackets for both the springs and shocks, or for coil-overs; major wheel opening cutting; likely wider axles; etc... All in all to properly do it he'd be looking at adding in another $30-40k.

What is the other LCG? you cant no lift fit big tires on a buggy?

 

[BlueScapegoat]

It's not like there's a clear definition for what is and isn't an "LCG" build. Lower CG is lower CG. You guys can argue about how to define it all you want, won't make a difference.

In general I'd argue the Gladiator is a terrible platform for an "LCG" styled build, it's so freaking long. A bunch of extra travel and nice low CG only goes so far if the breakover gets you into trouble just driving the whoops to get to the big stuff. Even the 4 door JL is too long. Take a 2 door JL and stretch it. Or better yet, a much lighter LJ. Add d60s, 40s, and your CG is drastically lower right out the gate. Then you just need to get spicy with the coilovers and a bit of plasma cutting in the rear.

Of course if OP is talking about low CG and keeping to the Mojave roots we're really discussing more of a long travel prerunner build, and that's a drastically different can of worms. One that I would very much like to see.

Just my opinion. Semantics.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

It's not like there's a clear definition for what is and isn't an "LCG" build

Right.

Typically what the majority of people have ever classified as a LCG build, is putting the largest tires on, and then opening up the fenders to fit. This fits with the threads where people install 40's on a stock max tow...

Is OP wanting the pre-runner? A crawler? Mall crawler?

 

[TommyGp]

Having built an LCG rig before (TJ Juggy w/ Dana 70s, 40s, and 103" wheelbase, 20" to bottom of frame and 71" to top of cage) I agree that I don't think the Gladiator is a great platform for that if you intend to wheel hard core stuff with ledges and such. I do disagree with the mall crawler comment and the only way the cost is as high as suggested is if you're paying someone else to do the work.

However, if you're really just looking at moderate wheeling then 37-40" tires with minimal lift and some fender mods is probably a great way to go. The key will be to make the belly as smooth and bulletproof as possible. Even my TJ rig would get hung up on big ledges and I drug the lower control arms at times.

All of that said...the Mojave suspension sounds like a great high-speed platform to begin with (I have a diesel Rubi so I can't say personally) so I get the desire to leave the suspension alone. If it were me (and I lived in the SW or some place where high-speed was possible, I would get some higher clearance fenders and run 37"-ish tires on the stock Mojave suspension.

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