It would be interesting/informative to hear from Pre '68 Dave on this.

3701887 was supposedly the casting code on 1953 truck 235 (low pressure engine). Supposedly it worked with 15 head bolts. This information could be incorrect.

3701481 was the casting code on a 1953 car with Powerglide (high-pressure engine). It worked with 18 head bolts.

Maybe the all 1953 235 heads used 18 bolts - on both high-pressure and low-pressure oil system engines?