[LMH]

Hey Jack
The Hurricane kit can be built with average tools that most of us have. I've found that it's not hard but I have messed around with sports cars most of my life. I would say some experience would be a big help but there's lots of forum support on our Hurricane site and from the company itself. So it could be done. Also, Hurricane can assemble it to some degree at the shop. You'd have to talk to Mike or Rich about that.
There are a number of engine builders and lots of opnion on who's the best. I would pick someone close to where you live so you can be a part of it's build offten. Sky's the limit with what you can spend, so your budget plays a big role in what engine you end up with. Hurricane can support both big and small block Ford as well as (gasp) other manufacturers.
Most of us are using TKO 600's for transmission.
Paint... again, the sky's the limit. I've seen paint jobs for $2000 up to as high as around $12000. It depends on how much work you do on the paint.
As for "big ticket items" for the car, engine, trans, wheels and tires are the big things you'll be spending your money on. The kit is very complete.
Let me know if I can answer any questions.
Larry