Steampunk laptop

Not entirely sure where I ought to post this, but I suppose it's a case, right?

I needed a laptop for college. Though once a devout Windowser, I am now the proud owner of a very sleek-looking, very modern and very boring MacBook Pro.

It looks like this.

The final result should look something like this, although naturally I expect my work will be a far cry from the mighty Datamancer's.

That said, I plan to make it look a little more "industrial" than the clockwork model above. I hope to have a couple of PVC-pipe valves with gauges across the back of the screen.

This is my first casemod and I'm not quite sure where to start. I want to be able to actually close the laptop, obviously, since not transporting it would basically turn it into a desktop. I'd also like it to be functional as well as generally awesome-looking. Since the bottom of the case will definitely be made of wood, I'd also like to "build" a small cooling fan into the base of the machine - it doesn't have a lot of ventilation and thus overheats quickly when I'm running a game, so a lot of its processing power goes to waste.

That said, I'm taking any and all suggestions/recommendations for:

+Brass/brass-like materials for the individual keyboard keys. Considering using old typewriter keys if I can find them.
+A small cooling fan with a minimalist USB plug. I'd prefer it to not stick out of the side of the case any more than it has to, and it would probably become a permanent feature of the laptop.
+Materials for the interior decor. I can't use real wood on the inside of the laptop since there's virtually no space between the screen and the base of the computer when it's closed, but I need it to LOOK like either wood or some sort of metal.
+I can't actually take apart the laptop in any way, since it's for school and all and I can't risk breaking it. This needs to be strictly a case that can be built around and contain the laptop.
+Anything else you folks can think of. I'm a noob, that's why I'm here; please demonstrate thy skills for me.