Hey guys, I need some info on how i can mount HELLA 500 driving light's on my r56. I dont want to cut my grill (mess-up parts), I was thinking of somehow just using the grill for the support... I dont know . What have you guys done ? I have seen a few r56's with hella's or piaa's they all look great.Please post some pics if you have some with driving lights.

HERE IS A OLD PICS (that is where i want them).




THANKS IN ADVANCE!

 

Look on the top right corner. There is a Search function. It works really well. I had some pictures of my install as well so you can look it up with my name.

 

Yah arther ,i saw a few threads (didnt find yours) but ,i couldnt find one with a way to mount them on the grill w/out moding it or cutting .........if you know of a thread or of a way let me know.
thanks!

 

You should mount them with the right brackets. You will be much happier in the long run. You can buy brackets and pre cut grill and save your original grill if you ever want to go back, but I doublt you will. The driving lights look much better and functionallity is awesome. Mine are always on with my high beams - couldn't live without them now. I installed the Piaa lights and modified my grill myself. Really was not a big deal getting the grill trimmed out to fit the brackets in. Wireing harness was a challenge, but once I figured everything out it all came together quite well (with lots of help from posts on NAM).

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...dium/car44.jpg

 

Yah yours look great man , yah i am thinking about doing that, how much would i be able to get the brackets for?I might take the piaas i have on the Titan and put them on the mini .......but if there is a way to not have to cut the grill or drill it I want/need to know!

 

Cutting the drill is not a big deal. If you ever decide to give your car back when the lease is over, I can find youa very cheap source for a new drill. If that's what you are worried about. It makes it for a clean look and install.

 

I ended up buying a precut grill + brackets from VIP Custom Parts in order to instal my Hellas.

Made it a lot easier.

 

I really like the look of this bracket:



I saw this on a Clubman but mounted in the lower grille. Sweet.

 

Angle brackets bolted through with fender washers behind (see the photos). No cutting, and they are much more secure than the factory brackets (and way cheaper). My dealer won't put Minis with factory DL's through their car wash because they get damaged. Mine goes through it just fine.

 

Yah man this is what im taking about ! I knew there was a better cheaper way. They look great !!
So where did u get the brackets from ,and how $$$?
Also if you have any more pics of the install please send them my way .


Thank You

 

^^^^ isnt that pretty sweet?
Ill take u up on that offer if mattbren's style dosnt work-out 4 me, I HOPE it will

 

With the lights (they're not Hellas), the whole thing cost about $60. See my posts in this thread for details on materials, cost and assembly:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post2585942

 

Yah i was looking for the other diy thread you were talking about but couldn't find it .
Do you remember what the part # for the rubber strips was?
Also, can you please take some pics of the grill from the back ?
I am having trouble understanding what the fender washer's look like..


BTW:ARE THE BRACKETS THE SHORT ONES OR THE LONG ONES?
Thanks a lot! This made my day!

 

Rubber Strips:

8990K13
Weather-Resistant EPDM Rubber Strip Plain Black,
3/32" Thk, 2" W, 36" L, Black
In Stock at $3.18 Each

I don't have photos behind the grill. Fender washers are just flat washers that are very large around on the outside but have a small hole in the center like a standard washer. You can get them in the specialty hardware drawers at Home Depot. These go behind the slats in the grill and act like a clamp against the back side of the grill. I'm pretty sure there's another thread (maybe in the Gen 1 electrical forum) that has behind the grill photos.

 

Ok, i think i get it now , so from the front its just the bracket then the rubber strip ........then from the back there is one fender washer like this>
with a long bolt that screw from the top of the fender washer to the bracket hole....and you just screw the driving lights in to the bottom hole of the bracket?


Do you know if the HELLA's will fit in the hole on the bracket?(the brackets are the short kind not the long right?)



Thanks again !!

 

You got it.

The Hellas are real shallow so they'll fit no problem. The brackets have a long side and a short side and you can mount them either way. I wanted mine as close to the grill as possible so I have the short side sticking out.

 

Great!
I was asking long or short because there are 2 kinds you can order but, its the short 1 right?
I guess ill get them done by the end of the month

Thanks for everything

 

Here's a link to my post where i used parts available at Home Depot/Lowes to attach them to the grill without any drilling/cutting: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ly-lights.html

 

Yours look great!
I like how these are closer to the grill, i just got the parts and here is how the mount looks ..... i dont have my hella 500's yet so i didnt leave the mount on i will within a week or so though .







BTW: I THINK IM GOING TO NEED BIGGER FENDER WASHER>>>>OFF TO HOME DEPOT

 

Also,are those replicas that you got from PePBZ smaller than the Hella 500's?? Do you like them ?

 

Looks good! To give the lights alot more more support I'd suggest using a metal bracket at the back of the grill. I painted mine black with Duplicolor so you can't see it. I needed to drill an extra hole in the bracket because the bolt was too big to fit the pre-drilled openings.

 

They are the same size and look almost exactly the same. I had both in my hands at PEP Boys and I was hard pressed to notice a difference. With that said I don't even have these wired yet and I'd bet they don't put out the same light as the Hella's. I did mine because I like the way they look, not for the additional illumination.

 

The mounts look good. Bigger fender washers will have bigger holes but you can just put them underneath the ones you've already installed. You'll be amazed at how strong the grill is and how well it supports the lights. Much stronger than the factory brackets.

 

Yah i cant wait till i order my light's !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:imp atient::impatient :
But, how much should i tighten the bolts, and do you think they are thick enough ? ?

Oh BTW - i found bigger washers they are a little bigger than that brackets width .

 

I don't have any torque specs. Just put a lock washer underneath the nuts and snug them down until the brackets don't move. You obviously don't want to over-tighten and crack the plastic, but it's pretty tough stuff.