Kernel make-kpkg problem

["Mark F. Mangano" <mfmangano@comcast.net>]

Trying to compile 2.6.3 but banging my head against a wall:

as root:
'apt-get install kernel-source-2.6.3'
'apt-get install kernel-patch-debian-2.6.3'
'cd /usr/src'
'tar xjvf kernel-source-2.6.3.tar.bz2'
'export PATCH_THE_KERNEL=YES'
'cp /boot/config-2.6.1.b02082004 /usr/src/kernel-source-2.6.3/.config'
'make-kpkg clean'
'make-kpkg --config=menuconfig --append_to_version=a03132004 kernel_image'

Menuconfig runs, then compiling starts and errors out with:
include /linux/kernel.h:10:20 stdarg.h: no such file or directory
In file included from include/asm/system.h:5,
                 from include/asm/processor.h:18,
                 from include/linux/prefetch.h:13,
                 from include/linux/list.h:7,
                 from include/linux/signal.h:4,
                 from arch/i386/kernel/asm-offsets.c:7:
include/linux/kernel.h:71: error: parse error before "va_list"
include/linux/kernel.h:71: warning: function declaration isn't a prototype
include/linux/kernel.h:74: error: parse error before "va_list"
include/linux/kernel.h:74: warning: function declaration isn't a prototype
include/linux/kernel.h:78: error: parse error before "va_list"
include/linux/kernel.h:78: warning: function declaration isn't a prototype
make[2]: ***[arch/i386/kernel/asm-offsets.s] Error 1
make[1]: ***[arch/i386/kernel/asm-offsets.s] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory '/usr/src/kernel-source-2.6.3'
make: ***[stamp-kernel-configure] Error 2

I had been able to make-kpkg without problem multiple times as I tweaked 
  my .config over the past few weeks with 2.6.0 2.6.1 and previously 
with the 2.4 kernels. Now if I try to recompile older sources I get 
similar errors, so I'm figuring there's something wrong with make-kpkg.

Any ideas would be vastly appreciated.
Mark.