need some advice on my next mod(s) on the xj

Ok, so I have a '00 xj with a rc 4.5" lift, 31x10.5s, iro adjustable uca's, h&t sye, and that's about it for mods at the moment.

It got rear ended last week. The car pretty much only hit the left side of the hitch. The frame rail was slightly bent just in front of where the hitch bolts to the frame.

At the moment, I'm thinking that I'll have a body shop pull the frame rail back straight (I already confirmed with the shop that this can be done) and then add some frame stiffeners from the lca mounts to the rear bumper.

I'm pretty sure that I want ⅛" stiffeners, but I'm not sure who's to use. I will have an experienced welder helping Me install the stiffeners, as I'm not exactly the most proficient welder around. I want light stiffeners because the jeep is still the grocery getter for the wife and kids, and fuel milage is always a concern.

The jeep is a weekend warrior, being used for Hunting, camping, some wheeling, and pretty much anything else we need to go in the woods for. I want to end up with more of an expo rig that a pure wheeler.

There will be about $1500 left in the budget after the repair and plating, and I'm not sure where to improve next. I want bumpers, sliders, a winch, and at least one locker eventually.

Do I blow the whole budget on bumpers and sliders? Buy some steel and a decent welder and learn to make my own stuff?

What would those of you with more experience do if you were in my position?

Really depends on your end needs (most don't know their end needs until they get to the end)

Many will agree that stiffeners are a solid decision and should be done early, I would agree IF the end needs warrant stiffeners.

From what I understand, there is some reasonable logic that well installed bumpers, skids, sliders add significant stiffness even without frame stiffeners and may be more than adequate for a lot of users.

I think it is difficult to add stiffeners once you pass a certain point, so if you think you'll need them start there.

Your going to get lots of opinions regarding build or buy you armor. If you are interested in learning to weld, it's the perfect opportunity, otherwise there are plenty of well designed, per fab bolt on options (if you would rather spend your time on other new skills)

HD offroad stiffy set, 2x6 3/16 box tubing for the rockers(they'll rust anyways) you want atleast a good front bumper with a towpoint of some type(i went with JCR stage 4 but not sure what it's called now (got the reciever in the front), the reciever is good for a winch because if this is a multi purpose rig you don't want to have to be worried about being out and your winch getting stolen or it being out in the bad weather ) also with the winch tray you could run cable back and make it so you could have it at the rear as well.

I was planning on stiffeners anyways just because I want to keep this rig going for as long as I can, and it seems like road miles, combined with off road miles, with a few weekend wheeling adventures thrown in will weaken the structure over time, so I figured that I'd plate it up before if got bad.

The accident and the resulting damage has prompted Me to move plating up on the list, as it will save Me about 2k on repair costs, and should end up with a better end result.

I would like to get better at welding, and I think that I'd end up needing a custom front bumper to mount the winch the way I want anyways. Maybe this is an opportunity to buy a good welder without catching grief from the wife. Lol

HDoffroad front to rear

I'm going to check out a great deal on a mig right now. Looks like I may get the best of both worlds.

Def a welder. You will thank yourself.

Already done. I picked up a Hobart 140 last night.