Congrats! Nice looking truck.

Problems that you talked about.
1) I would start with a complete tune up.
2) Move your fuse block inside the truck.
3) Find out which wire coming out off the fuse box is for your Cigar Lighter and run wire to a new lighter housing from a junk yard for a phone charger.
4) The chrome **** with 3 position switch check to see if any wires are running to it? May work with lights for you interior lights or just may be there to fill hole.
5) The wing window sounds like the rivets may have broke.
6) Fuel gauge may be the wrong type for your sending unit, Most GM fuel gauges are 0-30 ohm or 0-90 ohms. Where Ford uses, I think 75-10 ohms so your gauge and/or sending unit may not be paired right.

 

That looks like a plywood bed floor supporting the one you can see from the top.
Fuse box isn't in the best place exposed like that, but easy to add a cover over it.
Just need 12v fused wire to the cigarette lighter spot and a phone charger plug, seen them on Amazon for cheap.
The side vent window is probably broken at the pivot, maybe able to fix it with a small bolt, that being said I replaced mine 10+ years ago and have never had it opened since :-)
Brakes could be as simple as a broken/cracked brake pad.
The front end looks a lot like a Volare clip from the views you posted, if so it has discs and mine will stop on a dime, how does the pedal feel low or spongy?
Love the colour, of course it is yellow like mine, Just I have no black two tone, just all yellow.
I will trade you my bedwood for the seats and console LOL

 

More of my thoughts:
The electric fan work work much better as a puller on the engine side of the rad as opposed to the pusher style it is now.
If there isn't enough room to move it the rad looks easy enough to move forward, then move it.
The stalling could be as easy an idle adjustment, does it appear to idle low now? Or better yet what does it show at idle on the tach? I like to see 650-700 in gear, but some like them to idle higher each their own.
Tune up suggestion is a great idea, at least check and clean cap,rotor and spark plugs if anything.
Carb idle mixture circuit may be dirty or not set correctly, even the timing being off can screw with it. Sort of part of the tune up.
So bring the truck by and I will help you work out the bugs you found, I work for beer and of course those seats :-)

 

Well, I'm a brewer and am opening a brewery here in West Des Moines. Come visit and I got your beer fix covered. Bring a bench, and the seats are yours!

 

Congratulations on your new truck. Its perfect, drive it and learn as you go. That's what I did. No need to tear it all down and not be able to enjoy it. The truck will talk to you and tell you what it wants you to do. Welcome to FTE, I'm very happy for you, take care.

 

I forgot to welcome you, my bad, and I totally agree with what Jimmy said. Drive the truck it will tell you what it wants to be when it grows up :-)

 

Nice first truck! I wish mine was in good as shape.

I'm a fellow brewer with an itch to open a brewery as well!

 

After further review. Here's the mystery switch and the cigarette lighter. The cigarette lighter is hooked to nothing. The "mystery switch" is definitely running to something, but I can't figure out what.

Mystery Switch (below)

I even turned the car on and looked around while it was running and turning the mystery switch. I got nothin.


Cigarette Lighter (below)

 

Looks like all you have to do is hook a power wire to the lighter. You have some open circuits at the fuse block. You could have it on its on circuit.

As for the switch, might be time to trace those wires.

 

I was waiting for that. At 6'4" & 250lbs, that is pretty tight space in ther. But let's do this!

Off I go....

 

welcome aboard. nice old truck.

 

I'm going to have to try tomorrow in some daylight, but it looked like this light brown wire was attached to one of the gray ones and headed toward the ignition. But, as you can see, it wasn't plugged into anything (or I accidentally unplugged it, but I don't think I did.). That may be why it's not doing anything. It looks like the rest of the wires were running in the opposite direction along the driver's side of the wall along the cab wall by the speaker for the driver. I didn't want to dig too much on it.

I can't think of anything this would actually be hooked up to.

 

Hey Fabes!

That's a nice, nice truck! I agree with the rest that say, just drive it now and enjoy it. After a while, you'll know what you want to change, improve, or upgrade. As far as who is doing the work, with the folks here on this forum, you could do a lot yourself, with their advice and guidance, a little time, some money, some patience. This is the very best automotive forum out there!
I am also from Iowa, and live in Mason City. We have a Ford truck Club up here called Henry Haulers, and the Twin Cities F-100 club, out of Minneapolis/St Paul has their Midwest Nationals show up here in Clear Lake the 2nd weekend of June, so make plans to drive it up here ! If you are looking for a club, and there is not one in the Des Moines area, we are always looking for new members! Once again Welcome to FTE and Congratulations on the cool riding '53!

 

Nice truck, I run a windsor in mine that has the same front dress and possibly the same radiator (78 ford van) a word of advice, you might want to check the length of your alt. pivot bolt it could prevent you from removing the alt. with out removing the radiator first, not an ideal situation out on the road.
Good luck on the truck and have fun with it.

Craig

 

Awesome! Lots off the stuff I'm using came from my old ''77 Econoline..