Thanks for the input, guys!
I'm a shifty guy
Perhaps I'm a control freak, but automatics irritate me. Whether it's in my Subaru Legacy, the full-size van I used to drive, the F550s... They never seem to shift where _I_ want them to shift. Often times I'll end up shifting manually, anyway. My knee is doing ok, so I best get some good use of it!
Whatever manual transmission I end up getting will go behind the T444e in my half bus. A Road Ranger would be great. I expect I'll need to shorten a drive-shaft and put in a small air system, but that's no problem.
I've been keeping my eye on cheap buses and circa '97-'99 IH 4700s. Scrap price is down right now, but if I can find a suitable donor within the $1000-$2000 range I can take what I need and get a reasonable bit of cash back when I'm finished.