Doug,
A Shop Manual is your best friend as a starting point for getting into unfamiliar territory.
If you don't have a hard copy (some originals and lots of reprints are available for sale from many sources), you can always access this
1954 Truck Shop Manual and use the information in there to guide you through what you need to get done.
Folks will chime in here with other helpful questions, suggestions, and info, but a Shop Manual is a necessity you should really invest in.
Dan
