Help with building an electric guitar?

I'm going to build a guitar with a Gibson neck im going to order and stain, and a solid cherry body, which will be stained / designed also. So, there begins the questions. Could someone explain where I would place the bridge so that the sound comes out correctly, where a cheap place is to buy good quality parts, (i think i already found a site for that but cross checking can't hurt), and possibly some dimensions for the guitar. I think i am going to do most of the work on the guitar but have a woodworking cl at school put in some of the finer details and a friend draw on the back and then seal that on with varnish. Any help would be great, thanks