I've been dealing with my '54 today on the same issues. The truck sat for a couple years, I suspected bad gas, although there was not much in the tank. Have put in fresh gas and some fuel conditioner. Pouring a little gas into the carb will get the motor running, but only until the carb bowl is empty. I have gas to the carb, but maybe not enough volume.
Tomorrow I'm going to look at the flex hose under the tank to see if it has collapsed or deteriorated. Disconnecting the fuel line from the sender on top of the tank will prevent fuel from siphoning while checking the hose underneath the tank.
I'm going to pick up a can of carb cleaner to spray in case it may have jellied gas inside... There is no end to the fun...
