Fordor cars vary in construction in the area of the cowl so it depends on the body style and whether it's Briggs or Murray design. Some have wood in that area and some have more steel. This is a good thread that illustrates a lot of the differences and you may recognize your type there. You may need a new felt pad for your fuel neck area. They were a little square shaped pad impregnated with a tar like substance. Side braces were used on some models but I don't know about all of the different models. I've seen some with the braces that had cowl light through attachment & reinforcement incorporated with them.
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...ht=briggs+tank