I'll offer my welcome. You already have most of my responses to your questions over on the Early Ford V8 Club site, so I won't repeat them here. Let's see what others have to say.

Your question #3 here, though, relates to my final point over on the EFV8 forum. Please accept that I'm not being a jerk, but you are I fear totally wrong about your 17" wheels. All F-3s came with 17" Budd brand wheels that have a Firestone outer rim design known technically as the "RH-5°". Today known as widowmakers. There were only two 17" multi-part rims made back then having our 8 lug x 6.5" bolt pattern. Chevy tonner models had the other which had what is called a Kelsey Hayes "AR" three piece outer rim. There were no 17" one piece wheels with this bolt pattern made back then, I've made a study of it.

It is possible some prior owner might have swapped these ARs on to the front of your truck (I've got one off a parts truck for that reason), but they wouldn't have fit over your rear hubs. I'll post diagrams and pictures of each design so you can see what I'm talking about. The stock widowmaker 17 does, I'll grant you, look from the front and back like a one piece wheel. But when you get them off the truck you'll see the raised band like area around the middle on the concave side. That is the joint. Please let the air out before removing them from the truck. Stu