Peter,
Welcome to the group. I guess we are all a bit crazy here about this hobby.
I think you will find that if you spend a lot of time reading through
Pit Progress Reports as well as many of the other Construction/Electronics, etc threads you will find a wealth of information that will help you make decisions as to exactly how you want to build your personal Viperpit.
When I started I spent
days reading threads,
capturing key links and information and organizing and storing that information on my PC to help me in every area of the build. If you will do that first, I think you will be able to answer many of your questions. (Also, I found that the Search feature as well as Google was my best friend and helped me avoid asking the same questions that everyone has already discussed in the threads.)
Best of luck and welcome aboard. Can't wait to see some pictures and posts from you on your progress.
Willy