Joe,
You just HAD to bring up my weakness, didn't you?
I've built several arcade sticks for xbox 360, ps2, and ps3. Mostly just to play the Street Fighter series, though. I'm not as much of a "gamer" as I am a Street Fighter dork.
Anyway... I would STRONGLY suggest looking into other components for your buttons and sticks. The X-Arcade is okay, but the guts inside of those setups are "iffy" at best. You'd be much better off purchasing HAPP controls if you like American-style, or Sanwa if you like Japanese sticks (my personal preference). Those two brands are the standard for a reason. They hold up well and are easy to maintain should you ever have any problems.
As far as building goes... You'd be surprised what you can do yourself even if you're mediocre when it comes to soldering. This is a pretty good resource:
http://arcadecontrols.com/arcade.htm There is also some really good info at
www.shoryuken.com forums.
Good luck with your build.