any ideas of where i can find simple tutorials for basic modding etc, as i would like to install sutle game variations (clothes, lightsabers etc) that other people have come up with and how to start changing things like that for myself?
Look at the tutorials right at the top of the page:
http://www.lucasforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=324) where it says "General Tutorials + Tools", "Skinning and Modeling", " .2da Editing " and "scripting".
You'll find a list of tools in the general tuts forum.