Hi
When I had my 1302 I ran the coolant pipes down the middle like you did, I found that I grounded them a few times. Later on I made new ones which followed the line heater chaneel bolts and this gave me much better clearance.
I agree about the joins but soemtimes thats all, you have avaible. Im not a fan of ribbed hoses either, they tend to fail on the rib.
Below my 1302 pipes.
Steve
