[cas3]

Continue on with the experiment, but I think you will find your old friend is correct.
first you will install the motor and trans as a unit, and bolt down the trans rear mount so the front to back is located, then when the front is lowered down you will find the bolt for the crank pulley is sitting on top the hand crank loop. 59a motors have a longer crankshaft than the early motors. As I mentioned before, that loop needs to be cut off, or replaced with a flat model A unit. That bolt center needs to be where the original bolt was even though you are not going to have the rachet nut for the hand crank. The reason this is critical, and not mentioned yet in this thread, is the clearance for the breather tube at the back of the motor. I have no experience with truck firewalls, but I assume the clearance issue would be the same. The early motors had a tall breather tube so the cap is above the ledge on the fire wall. the short fuel pump stand and tube of the 59a will not allow room to put the cap on . On the two I have done, even the tall early tube was not tall enough so I made a taller tube to clear the firewall. To recap, the crank bolt must be lined up to the original position in the crank guide loop.