Kevin,
Check the links page on this website and check out what Chevy Duty and Jim Carter have in the way of cloth-braided wiring harnesses. Their prices will probably be better than Rhode Island Wiring (the third link below - they sell excellent reproductions but are very expensive).
The first two links below are to earlier discussions on this topic (search on "braided" or "cloth" and "harness").
I have never had a problem with the original two-fuse wiring harness (plus original additional fuses on the heater control and for the radio) AS LONG AS I have had a good wiring harness installed correctly. I now use the inexpensive Chevy Duty plastic-coated wiring harness on my '54s - 1954 was the first year for plastic-coated wiring.
http://www.stovebolt.com/bboard/cgi-bin//ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=001066#000000
http://www.stovebolt.com/bboard/cgi-bin//ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=001371#000000
http://www.riwire.com/ Do you have the two-fuse fusebox on the firewall in your truck (1940, I presume)? I do not know about the use of fuses in a pre-1948 truck.
Tim
