Its a 318. It has quite a bit in common with the 360. I don't know much about the 318 and they were discontinued when the 302 came out. The 302 had a lot more HP out of a lot smaller block. I'm glad I got the valves freed up without pulling the head. I'm not so sure I could find a head gasket.

It still has the bolt together brake brake chambers. I'm glad to have an example of what I put up with on several trailers. It seemed like they had 100 bolts and they always failed when there was ice hanging off of the trailer. The diaphragms haven't been available for about 40 years, but they can be fabricated by super gluing a type 30 diaphragm to a piece of rubber with holes punched in it and the middle cut out.

A 1950 GMC 3/4 ton was my "school car" and it was my dream to own a truck with the same cab as a pickup with a long hood. But by the time I bought a truck I was much more impressed with a 550 series with a 370V8 with 232 HP impressed me much more than a low RPM 6 cy. The kid in the picture was just ecstatic about being able to back it out and make a couple of rounds in the truck yard. Now that I am in my second childhood, I finally got my dream truck of the 50's.

I mounted the 5th wheel like we did it in those days. U-bolts with a wooden spacer on top of the frame and 2x4 upright in the soft c channel frame to keep the frame from bending at the U-bolts. 5th wheels are now mounted at the factory with Huck bolts. Dealers won't mount 5th wheels any more because of fear of liability. The law requires no less than 5 5/8" grade 8 bolts and thats what we use. Anyone who was around to see how 5th wheels wee mounted 60 years ago doesn't worry about 5th wheels mounted with 5 grade 8 flange bolts with self locking flange nuts that have an American manufacturer's logo on them.