Hi Ralph
Welcome to the group. I too am really new at this and people here are really really informative and helpful. When your manuals arrive a lot of the questions will be answered. I have found these 3 manuals to be the most informative and in depth of any auto manual I've used, and I've used a lot of them! The dash diagrams are very good. You won't be sorry for the manual investment.
1 place that's great to look at is
http://www.macsautoparts.com There are lots of components that you'll need and will find there.
Good luck!
Cameron