In your case, I think i would definitely go with a shell valley or Hurricane first. These kits come with just about everything needed for the build and will get you familiar with what parts are needed. Then who knows, maybe you can start from scratch! I went with Hurricane and can't say enough about their fantastic customer service! I email them and Have a reply back in a maximum of 48 hours. They mailed my 202pg assembly manual to iraq so I could familiarize with it before I begin my build! Definitely High class guys over there!
Have a look at this build site, it is pretty well detailed and documented.
http://www.cassidypics.com/cobra/