WHAT IS IT:

The2020+ F54 Clubman JCW comes with a factory strut tower brace that is a bolt-on upgrade to older, and non-JCW F54s.

WHAT PARTS ARE NEEDED:

Strut Brace: 51617455550
Brace Bolts (4x): 61258635668
Strut/Brace Cover Left: 51767494367
Strut/Brace Cover Right: 51767494368
Rubber Hood Seal: 51767494366 (you could also cut your current one shorter.
Battery Box Cover: 51717419826




WHAT TOOLS ARE NEEDED:

8mm socket for various trim screws
10mm socket
13mm socket
~12” socket extension
Trim Rivet Removal Tool

HOW TO:

Remove trim fasteners. PURPLE circles. Both sides.

Remove plastic trim covers on left and right side. RED dot. The nuts and studs circled in YELLOW will not be used for reinstallation.

Remove hood sealing gasket. GREEN dot.

Remove battery top cover. BLUE dot.




The stock battery box piece gets in the way of where the strut brace mounts. ORANGE circle. The arrow is a another box mount bolt you can access with a long extension. I believe the forward battery box piece can now be removed straight up. * There might be one more trim piece near the firewall that needs to be removed to get this battery box wall piece up and out - I forget now *





Here’s the new battery box panel vs. the old one.





The new battery box wall will bolt to an existing hole on the strut tower that is covered up with a plug. Remove the plug. You can reuse the bolt used from the original mounting spot.





Slide the new battery box cover in place and secure.





Reattach the battery box top cover.


We can now bolt on the strut brace using the new, longer bolts. Route the hood release cable under the brace.




Now reinstall the new trim pieces. The new trim pieces are molded around the shape of the strut brace.

Install the new hood seal gasket, or trim your old one down.





That’s about it. Super easy upgrade once you have all the parts. One missing thing I haven’t tracked
yet is the proper MINI trim rivet. It goes straight down into a hole in the new strut brace.




Finished product:

 

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I'm very interested in this if someone gets it to work.

 

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Do keep us updated man! Always interested in factory upgrades.

 

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Some suspension pick-up points have been moved on the LCI JCW to provide some negative camber, so you might need to watch out for that.
BTW there's another brace across underneath the floor below the rear side doors. (I discovered it when a large tree branch got stuck in it on a dirt road :-) )

 

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Omg that's awesome! What all part numbers did you order? Did you get them through a dealership or a website?

 

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Cool!

 

Updated original post with a more comprehensive DIY.

 

Well done! (Though I admit I like seeing how the sausage is made.)
Question - Can the engine cover be removed with the brace in place, or must the brace be removed first?

 

I just tested it and you can get the engine cover off.

 

Looks awesome! Did you feel any improvements drive-wise?

 

I retrofit the strut brace from the f54 facelift model to my 2017 f54 JCW . I even painted the strut brace red . Thanks to forum and the information about the parts that needed to make the project. !!!

 

Like that you painted it.

 

What is the performance difference?

 

To be honest, I didn’t really feel any difference. I’m sure it’s because I don’t drive hard enough though.

My Top 2 chassis mods are the NM 25mm Rear Sway Bar and the Powerflex front control arm bushings - the large rear ones. Car rotates better with the sway bar and the steering is more firm and direct with the Powerflex bushings. No added NVH either.