Hi Kraig,
Welcome to the VCCA's website and to the wonderful world of old Chevys!
I suggest that the first manual to buy is the 1927/1928 Shop manual. It is FULL of great info. The are available from the vendors that advertise here and also on ebay.
There are MANY ways to tackle getting your car back on the road. When I jumped into bringing my '28 Canopy Express (Justin) back to life, which had been sitting for over 40 years, I squirted some Marvelous Mystery Oil into the spark plug holes and onto the rocker arms, and worked on everything else while the engine soaked. Here's my suggestions:
1. Check that all the moving parts underneath and in the engine compartment actually move and are adjustable. For example, make sure that the threads on the brake parts are not clogged with dried grease and road dirt, so they can be adjusted. Clean all exposed threads with a wire brush before attempting to adjust stuff. You don't want to get dirt and sludge into the threaded holes.
2. Change all the fluids. This includes putting some oil into the u-joint housing. Use the same oil as the transmission and rear end.
3. New tires and inner tubes. Don't forget to use inner tube flaps.
4. Do a complete lube job, including wheel bearings and grease cups. Note that the grease cup for the water pump needs marine grease, not bearing or chassis grease.
5. Drop the oil pan (you don't have to take out the engine), clean out the sludge and any other yukky stuff you find, and do a good inspection. These engines get lubricated by a splash system, so it is especially important that you clean out the oil reservoirs that feed oil to the bearings.
For an overview of what the inside of the engine and its parts looks like, see my write up when I rebuilt the '28 engine in my truck Lurch. Here's a link to that story:
Resurrecting a 1928 Chevy 4 bangerBasically, work your way around the vehicle inspecting, cleaning, and adjusting, so that when you fire up the engine, you can go driving!!
Cheers, Dean