Great! Maybe we can both get some help then.
I've been doing a ton of research since posting this, and now have a much better idea about how to match motors, props, and batteries. I guess my main issue is finding the one that would be best for THIS plane in particular. It appears that any motor/esc combo that I go with that will also utilize my 7 cell nimh and 8x4 prop is not optimum for this size aircraft. I'm willing to accept this as long as it performs better and quieter than the brushed motor I currently have. It seems that is a given with these new brushless motors. I measured the dimensions of the current motor to be 3.15mm shaft, 36mm diameter, and 57mm length, to give you an idea of the size.
It would seem that an inrunner motor would be a direct drop-in, but all info points to inrunners being used for electric ducted fans and very small propellers only. So, I will probbaly have to modify my mount and use a 36mm-ish outrunner.
Like you, further research keeps leading me back to the DX6 radio. It seems to be a great package. There are a few other similarly packaged options from Futaba and Airtronics, so I guess it's a matter of preference.
I looked into the AS3X thing. Looks like that's only a feature on select receivers, the AR610 not included.