There are many sources I can think of that you should examine. A few I can think of off the top of my head are:
1. The Black Jaguar (MDL-BDC24) data sheet available from Luminary Micro. This contains information as to how to wire the CAN bus and tells a little about what is available. Other documents on their site might also help you.
2. To actually implement it take a look at the sample code (for Java, C++ and Labview) on FirstForge (
firstforge.wpi.edu). Just examining the sample code should be able to allow you to gain enough knowledge to experiment with it and figure more out.
Hope that helps,
-Ian