MOONEY M20J ACFT. RPTR PLT BECAME DISORIENTED DUE TO STRONG WINDS; WX AND DISTR WHILE ON VOR APCH. APCH CTLR AIDED PLT TO BECOME REORIENTED AND COMPLETE THE APCH.

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THIS PROB DEVELOPED WHILE FLYING THE VOR RWY 9 APCH IN HVY WX ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL STORM FRONT. ALTHOUGH HVY RAIN WAS SHOWING ON ATC'S RADAR; THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY; AND WHILE SURFACE WINDS WERE GUSTING TO 25 KTS; THE CEILING WAS ADEQUATE AND THE APCH SEEMED MANAGEABLE. ON THE PROC TURN INBOUND; STRONG WINDS ALOFT BLEW US THROUGH THE 066 DEG COURSE LINE BACK TO THE VOR (INBOUND ON THE 246 DEG RADIAL) AND ONTO THE UNPROTECTED SIDE OF THE APCH -- EVEN BEFORE THE PROC TURN COULD BE COMPLETED. WHILE CORRECTING BACK TO THE 246 DEG RADIAL; WITH AN ADDITIONAL CUT TO THE R FOR AN INTERCEPT; WE HIT A PRETTY GOOD BUMP. THIS KNOCKED OUT OF POS THE FRICTION-HELD AFTER MARKET SUN VISOR ON THE COPLT SIDE; ANNOYING THE PAX IN THE R SEAT. I REACHED OVER AND LIFTED THE VISOR BACK INTO PLACE. IT WAS; HOWEVER; PERHAPS THE FINAL DISTR IN A CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT NEARLY DOOMED THE FLT. FOR BY NOW I HAD BECOME DISORIENTED BOTH AS TO ALT (DSNDING BELOW THE 2400 FT MDA FOR THAT SEGMENT) AND HDG (CONTINUING THE R TURN FAR BEYOND THE INTERCEPT ANGLE REQUIRED FOR RETURN TO THE 246 DEG RADIAL). I HAD GONE AS LOW AS 2000 FT BEFORE REALIZING THAT I HAD EITHER FORGOTTEN THE CORRECT ALT OR LOST TRACK OF IT; IN AN AREA WHERE THE TERRAIN REACHED TO 1900 FT ON THE PROTECTED SIDE OF THE APCH AND 2100 FT ON THE UNPROTECTED SIDE. IT TOOK HELP FROM ATC; FOR WHICH I AM GRATEFUL; TO RESTORE MY ORIENTATION AND SALVAGE THE APCH. SINCE I WAS CURRENT ON INSTS WITH NUMEROUS RECENT ACTUAL APCHS; I SIMPLY CANNOT SAY WHY THIS ONE TURNED OUT TO BE MORE THAN I WAS ABLE TO HANDLE. IT MAY BE; HOWEVER; THAT MOST OF MY RECENT EXPERIENCE WAS IN TERMINAL AREAS WITH 'VECTORS TO FINAL' AND THUS INADEQUATE PREPARATION -- IN SPITE OF MY CONFIDENCE LEVEL -- TO DO THIS ONE 'ON MY OWN' WITH THE XWIND AND TURB.