I remember my Guillow and Comet building days, so I admire your desire to build the plane, and take it the extra step to electric power. Don't let anyone discourage you. No matter how many little mistakes you make, you will learn a lot and enjoy the process. You will probably find yourself building another one soon that will be improved and even better than your first one. Your enjoyment will skyrocket.

If you have the money, think about buying a small electric plane to practice with. These will be similar in weights and wind tolerance. You can learn a lot from a cheap rc plane before flying the Guillow. I watched on of those little planes this weekend at the field, and I was amazed at how high it got, how it landed, etc. It was fun to watch. Maybe the electrical components will give you some ideas too.