One of the cool things about a 1-ton is that you get to enjoy figuring out your own way to resolve challenges like this one.
There are several 8-lug trucks running around with disk brakes on the front, including one guy (oldblue?) who has described the process in great detail here and another that I know is a 1-ton described in detail on OldGMCTrucks.com.
The 1-ton used Dodge rotors on the stock hubs and spindles, and he made his own caliper brackets.
Another guy, Ken Brown, who I've not seen post here for quite a while, has designed and started to manufacture some caliper brackets just for this conversion. I haven't seen that he has finished the project but catching up with him might be worthwhile. And difficult, he is a busy guy.
I think your biggest challenge in restoring the original brakes is getting good drums. If you can solve that part, the wheel cylinders can be rebuilt, new lines run, and the master cylinder rebuilt or replaced.
However if there is a source of new drums for this truck I'm not aware of it. I think a '53 1-ton has Bendix brakes instead of Huck, but I'm not sure. Bendix are probably easier to find, but still a challenge.
Are you restoring to original or working toward an original looking driver? Being clear about that can make a lot of difference how you approach some of these problems.
