Oooo.. install Gentoo using the traditional, command line method.
In my early days of Linux, the distro that really got me into Linux and deep into the ins-and-outs of using Linux was Gentoo. Even though I'm not using it at present, it is still probably my favorite distro, and I forsee myself going back to it in the near future.
Gentoo can be a challenge, but it has the best online documentation of any distro that I've found. You'll probably bork the install a few times, but once you get it up and running, you will feel quite accomplished. Give it a shot.
http://www.gentoo.org
The Gentoo forums are also some of the best forums out there for getting help. I still visit them on a regular basis.