Well this is an interesting process. After looking at his posted picture again, the front end of the truck sits a lot lower then it would have stock. Given that the original flat head 6 weighed a bunch (pretty close to the weight of the 440), I doubt the lower front end position is caused by the 440, unless the springs are shot, or several leafs have been removed from each spring.
I guess we (that includes me) all presumed that since the truck has drum brakes it must still have the original beam axle as well. That may not be the case, something has been done to lower the front end of the truck. That could dramatically change what is needed to upgrade to the disc brakes.
It could also make a huge difference concerning adding power steering, which would be difficult with the beam axle.
I guess we need to have Ted look under the front end and see if there is still parallel leaf springs and a beam axle under the lowered front end. It would also be good to know how the front end was lowered if the leaf springs and beam axle are still present. Some of the methods for lowering the beam axle that were used in the past are considered pretty unsafe these days. Gene

Cam bolts used for adjustment IIRC.

Hello Moparts, It's good to be back! 1st project is my Dads 56 pickup. It has drum brakes with a 440 motor installed! Not going to work here in Diego-Town. Has anyone done a disk brake conversion? I see there are a few kits on the market, anyone use any of them? Any and all suggestions will be apricated.

It's good to be back!
Thx Diego

Actually, the bottom anchors are also cam offset and will move the bottom of the shoes in or out as well. These brakes are a pita to get properly set, they work great once set, but if they are incorrect, the brakes pretty well suck.

I have a 54 Dodge truck service manual here.
The bolts on the bottom are called the anchor bolts, both are suppose to have either an arrow or a punch mark that identifies the inside position of the anchor bolt.
The adjusting cams under the shoes are referred to as the cam.
the text also refers to the "toe of the shoe" and the "heal of the shoe". The bottom of the brake lining on each shoe on both sides are referred to as the "heal" and the top of the lining on both shoes are referred to as the "toe". Each shoe has a toe at the top, and a heal at the bottom.
From the 54 Service manual:
Major brake adjustment
Be sure the master cylinder is full (paraphrase)

Position the anchor bolts and remove the tire assembly. Remove the inspection cover. Loosen lock nuts and turn brake shoe anchor bolts to fully released position, with the flats of the anchor bolts horizontal and the punch marks on the threaded ends of any pair of anchor bolts together and in line.

(1) Adjust the anchor bolt and cam on one of the shoes to give equal clearance at the toe and the heal. Make sure that sufficent center contact is maintained to produce a slight drag.

(2) After adjusting the clearance on one shoe, repeat the procedure on the other shoe.

(3) After the toe and heal clearance on both shoes have been equalized, install the tire and wheel assembly. Then, using the top adjusting cam, bring the shoe out until a moderate drag is obtained.

(4) Perform this procedure at all four wheels.

The book also goes into detail to be sure the brake shoes are aligned (square with the drum).

It also discusses brake pedal travel. There are 2 long paragraphs about free travel, and travel of the piston required to cover the relief port. Then it covers the travel of the brake shoes to contact the drums, I'll post that last paragraph:

An additional pedal travel of approximately 1 inch is required to move the shoes outward against the drums. The total pedal travel required to set the shoes should be approximately 1 3/4 inches to 2 inches with properly adjusted brakes. A minor brake adjustment (#3 & #4 above) will usually correct excessive pedal travel.

Good luck adjusting your drum brakes. Gene