I found a useful android tutorial from Youtube, it illustrate a whole process to customize android ROM. hopefully these video also can bring value to you.
Tutorial: Android Internals - Building a Custom ROM, Pt. 1 of 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_H4AlQaNa0
Tutorial: Android Internals - Building a Custom ROM, Pt. 2 of 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFqELLB1Kk8