Detail wire 101

Anyone done a 101 with detail wire yet, e.g engines/ interior??

OK.

It's mainly research (where the plugs are on the heads, firing order, routing if you're being fussy) followed by drilling and glueing.

Here's how I do it.

Look at pictures in Car Mags (or study the heads & exhausts and use your engineering knowledge) to work out where the plugs are on the heads
Drill before you paint and wire after attaching the carby/blower/injection but before the exhaust manifolds.
If you can, drill right through into the hole in the middle of the engine.
Shave the top of the dizzy flat to make it easier to drill 9 holes (or use a pre-dimpled alternator from TPB)
Look up firing order here http://modeltech.tripod.com/wiring101.htm(although i've been told the SBC order is not correct for all small blocks)
Clear paint out of the holes you drilled earlier with the drill bit
Cut 9 lengths of wire longer than you think you'll need
Put a blob of superglue on the bench and glue the wires into the dizzy by dipping them into the glue & then slotting the wire into a hole
If the wire does not want to go into the hole then use the drill to enlarge the hole a bit.
Now, you have 2 options as far as wire length goes. Either cut them to length so they look neat or leave then all the same length drooping all over the place. If you have drilled into the hole in the middle of the engine then you don't need to trim them, you can just push them into the engine until they look right.
Before you cut check how the exhaust manifolds run as that will affect plug wire routing & therefore length.
The centre wire is for the coil. Leave it long until you decide where the coil will be positioned.
Put another blob of superglue on the bench (the first blob will by this stage be on your sleeve or hand). I prefer gel type superglue as it has a bit of set up time rather than instant fix (in the wrong place usualy).
Referring to the wiring diagram glue the wires into the engine. Do one side at a time starting at the plug nearest to the dizzy. Use a bit of spare wire and transfer a blob of glue to the tip of the plug wire. Push the wire into the hole.
If you have drilled into the hole in the middle of the engine then do not glue the tip of the wire before you push it in. Push the wire in, pull it out slightly, put a tiny blob of glue on the wire at the hole and push it back in.
When done bend the wires so they have a natural looking droop as they lay across the engine.
If when it's all finished the superglue had clouded anything then a lick of acrylic clear will make it vanish.

One last tip - if you are planning to wire an engine then it's best to paint it with car paint as it stands up to repeated handling much better than enamel.

Wicked! Thanx Zen!

No wuckers.
Hardest thing for me is keeping the rest of the engine clean and free from fingerprints & superglue.
I use a 0.5mm drill hald in a pin vise. I buy this sort of stuff in my local tool shop as it works out cheaper than a hobby shop. Especially if you buy 10 drill bits at a time (suggested as they break real easy).

Yeah cheers mate, was thinkin so, still finding it hard to find good ref piks for it tho, sort of a half an idea as to where they're spose to go but hesitant at the same time....

Look at the ads for crate engines or cylinder heads in Street machine. They usually give a clear view of where the plug holes are in relation to the exhaust ports.

Ah, awesome, thanx once again Zen...

This is the best tip I've learnt for wiring (Thanks to Stump for pointing it out)

I didn't mention boots because I don't bother with them.
But they do add that little bit extra.

Nah your right mate, gunna take me a while to wrap my head around the engine wireing anyways, thanx for the help boys.

Bones.

oh woot thanks for the thread zen might have a go at detailing my camino engine to see if i can do it