My first question would be:
What year truck do you have?
Are you asking for tranny options for the '63 mentioned in your post?
I don't think the t-5 option is as expensive as you think. I got mine from a junk yard for $100. If you are talking about a '63, then you already have an open drive line so all you may need to do is shorten the drive shaft.
You will have to deal with the shifter, which means cutting a hole in your floor pan, but that shouldn't be too tough.
Another option for you would be an automatic transmission, if your truck is a '63. How about a nice TH400? Same thing as the t-5, get one cheap, shorten the drive shaft and figure out the linkage. In the case of the automatic you can either get a floor shifter, and there are plenty of different aftermarket ones, or you can get a new steering column with the shifter on it.
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