1998 Ford Ranger coverting to electric

Hi guys i'm in the process of converting 2 trucks to electric the first a 91 S10 is underway.I'm now looking to get a second vehicle and have found a 98 ranger with a blown motor. It has an automatic transmission and we will have to put in a manual my question is do we have to use a transmission from only model (98-up) or could an older transmission be used and retrofit as the transmission will be mated to the electric motor. Another question how hard do you think it would be to replace the power steering with manual also do you think it would be steerable with a manual box. Thanks buz