Yes, one of the problems is that the R1 setup has both a front and rear vertical plate and so it is fairly easy to anchor a cooler to the bridge piece across the bottom.
I designed a new bridge piece with adjustment slots and my cooler mounts to that.
But of course you don't have that on the R1 setup and I am not running the original hot end setup either so anything I did will likely not work for you. Sorry.
I will be more than happy to post the files and some photos for you if you wish though.
If you devise your own mounting for it I suppose it could be adapted.
Or if nothing else it might give you some ideas.
As far as how many sides to have airflow from, all sides would be best, but in practice I have found that three sides (leaving the front side open for access to the hot end block) is good enough.
I did try a one-sided version early on (blew from the back side only) and it wasn't.
At least I didn't think so.
Opinions will vary quite a lot on this.
I second @PaulS that radial (squirrel cage) blowers are typically better for this purpose because they move a lot of air and can push it through tiny ducts and slots at higher pressures than muffin-style fans can.
I tried a 40mm muffin fan version early on, and it seemed wimpy.
I am now using a 5015 type blower and let me tell you it can move a lot of air..!
FWIW...... 
