Another recent upgrade... new tailgate hinges. I have an Exogate, so I've been using the hinges that are part of the Exogate for the past 4 years, and they've worked great. But here's something better - heavy-duty "wide-swing" hinges. The photo below shows one of the new wide-swing hinges (top) compared to an Exogate hinge. The hinge pin on the wide-swing hinge is about 3" outboard of the hinge pin on the Exogate hinge, which has the hinge pin in the stock location. The result is that when the tailgate is opened, there's 3" more space between the spare and the tail light. These hinges don't require the Exogate, they bolt right up to a stock TJ/LJ without the Exogate as a direct replacement for the factory hinges. They also have a zerk fitting inside to keep the hinge pin greased, and they're rebuildable in case the hinge pins ever wear.
With stock hinge geometry, you can't really mount anything on the tailgate hinges because when the tailgate is opened whatever is mounted there will hit the tail light. Now there's 3" more room there to mount things, like a HiLift, an ammo can or a small fuel can.