Do you mean something like:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/systemimager/
http://www.howtoforge.com/howto_linux_systemimager
I've used systemimager to do complete installs from scratch in 5-10 mins.
( will flood your network ... nice to watch if you like pretty lights
Each image was customised to the hardware on the target,
and things like the ssh key were regenerated on first boot.
A lot of experimentation was involved.
I can not provide any quick answers for you about systemimager.
Read, experiment, read, experiment, rip hair out, experiment again ...