That code leaves me totally lost, perhaps someone else can decipher it. I believe you are correct and it is a 1953 or older 218. I would try to get it running. My 53 3600 had sat since 85 and runs great. You may get lucky too. With 4 feet of rubber hose you can bypass the tank and draw your gas from a can in the bed while cleaning or replacing the gas tank. My tank was filled with about a gallon of rust and shellac.
