That's a nice find/gift. You know some of its history. Glad you found the ford wheels and didn't go down the 8-hole Chevrolet wheel rabbit hole like I did. The 16-inch Chev wheels will not clear the tie rod ends. When/if you get to the point of alloy wheels, 6-inch, 0-offset trailer wheels will work nicely. There may also be steel trailer wheels available. Just don't go with wide wheels or the steering will be negatively affected.
I would get right on this project before the mice steal any more of the seat stuffing
. Is the deck worth saving? Can you tell if it is a factory bed? Chevrolet did deliver stake and platform models to dealers. The ones I have seen were higher quality than aftermarket ones. I would save the marker lights on the cab . That's a nice period touch. various years came with different configurations as the laws changed. For '51 in Washington, one light on either side of the cab were required; for '52 the law added the ICC configuration of three more in the center. Other years required a single light in the center in addition to the ones on the cab corners. To complicate things it varied by state. You can see why Chevrolet shipped pickups and chassis/cabs with only one tail and stop light. I don't know if the stake and platform models had factory clearance lights.
