How robust is the standard oil cooler

[Hadrian]

I have an oil cooler from an E30 325i which I will be putting on my E21 (M20B23). Just wondering... if the oil cooler takes a direct hit from a stone is it likely to start leaking oil?

Has anyone ever damaged their oil cooler?

PS: It will be installed begind a Motorsport front bar

[AlarmedBread]

Mine's taken out a few small animals in its time, is bent in a ~ kind of shape and is still leak free. I think the PO lived on some back country gravel roads ;)

[AdamF 88iS]

Mine broke after a bad encounter with a raccoon. Another friend of mine broke his after a tree limb impaled it.

[e34john]

Mine looks pretty ratty but its probably the only place that doesn't leak oil, but it might be so clogged nothing even flows through there.

[ddavidv]

Both of our race cars have dinged/dented/bent oil coolers that don't leak. They seem surprisingly sturdy. I think the bigger issue is the placement of the cooler down so low where it's destined to get pelted. I'd consider adding some screening on a street car to help protect it.

[Scott314]

Mine broke after a bad encounter with a raccoon. Another friend of mine broke his after a tree limb impaled it.

I hit a raccoon and it dented my oil cooler to hell, but it never broke. Another time I hit a drainage grate in a farmers field while doing a little unexpected off-roading...It didn't break that time, either, but it tore the oil cooler from its mounts.