So some of you may or may not be aware of my current project but I have been completely restoring my mini since I got it. I have basically replaced everything now. I'm awaiting my pistons from rmw and then the blocks going back together. But in the mean time I went ahead and threw my front clip together to plan out and attack the mounting of my light bar and my oil cooler. I don't know how people get it to fit on top of their AC condenser but that wasn't happening without some modification to the hood and possible shorter connections. So I decided to mount it in the lower grille opening. My old light bar I made was flimsy, it did the job but required me to have to make some ugly bushes to hold the lights from moving around to much. The old set up was also mounted a little lower.
Here is a photo of the previous light bar I had made which surprisingly for how weak it was actually costed more than my new set up.
Anyways let's get to the ****. (Photos)

Yes this is an older pic from a few weeks before the motor went out. I was in the process of figuring out my splitter. This one was too weak to withstand the force. So I'll be remaking it off this template with fiberglass and carbon fiber. When time allows such a project. There is no close up photos of my old brackets for the lights but I basically had 2 L shaped posts mounted to the rear of the bash bar which hung down into the path of the lower grille, then one bolt on each bracket sticking through the bumper opening and with long spacer PVC pipe into another L bracket that the lights mounted too. This was all aluminum and quite thin aluminum at that. I still somehow spent 80$ and I also had to paint it.

Now for the real modern ****,
These brackets are steel, they do have some weight but altogether it's still under 2lbs but there is no flex anywhere, I got all grade 8.8 bolts.
Here is my new set up.


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So in these photos ^^^^ I cut into the radiator shroud to allow my lines to pass through without obstructing the seal on the hood.


I pretty much went with the highest point I could go with to mount the brackets that stick out of the bumper for the light bar, I want as much flow through the opening of the grille. And I may end up building a dam to funnel air precisely over my radiators.



The brackets for the oil cooler are actually bolted in to the metal of the bumper rather than all the way through. I drilled out the holes and ran a tap through the hole to thread it for the bolts. Turned out great and surprisingly for how thin the metal is you can get quite a bit of torque down bring the brackets flush to the support bar. They aren't going anywhere. Now for the rally light bar I went ahead and drilled through both sides, stability and strength is very important for that light bar, would hate to have it fall off driving down the road.







Now everything is physically sound, there's some adjustments where holes are slotted, the outside fogs, the oil cooler bracket and the brackets where the light bar bolts to the frame so I can have some adjustment without too crazy. I didn't want it to be a nightmare everytime I pulled it apart. Still have the wiring to redo. I am going to try to do that today as well as paint up all the hardware black for a slicker look. I hope you all enjoyed this mod as much as I did!

 

Wiring loom all made up.