First of all. Am I crazy to even ask???

If no. Then, how many hours can I expect this to take? What books / tools do I need? How much do the parts themselves cost? Here's the problem, I haven't done much on ANY cars aside from the occasional oil change / filter change / tranny fluid change. Am I crazy for even considering this as a viable alternative?

My mechanic wants $1400.00 for the job. [Which seems pretty good to me] -- I'd like to do it to learn, though.

Thanks,
James