Jeremy, Thanks for the compliments. In your search I would strongly recommend a turbocharged 53 series and pass on the non turbo versions. It's a whole lot of work to do such a conversion, and ends up being a pile of money too, you might as well do it right the first time with the turbocharged version, stronger, more efficient (think mileage), and slightly quieter.
Transmissions, I did not want a PTO, but none the less, any and all of the options I considered have standard PTO openings. Anything over a pickup sized transmission will almost certainly have a PTO opening, and a number of smaller transmissions will as well. A good choice of a transmission for a 4-53T is first of all, Over Drive, and second is equally spaced gears, the more the better. Start considering 5 speed transmissions, and look up from there. Don't choose one that weighs much more than 300-400 lb. To much overkill hurts performance, mileage, and hauling capacity, not to mention the bigger transmissions just won't fit in the chassis.
