gidday mate and welcome from new Zealand
you've set yourself a huge task but your doing the right thing by offering to help/hang around for nothing to gain knowledge.
that's how I learn't pretty much everything I know.i bought a welder and gas set and read the instructions and then cut and welded everything in sight until I got good at it
and I hung around other people building hotrods and soaked up their knowledge
theres a world of information out there on the internet !!
good luck.


.