Given that you do not know much of the maintenance history on the car, go through all the systems in an organized manner.

Brakes are the most important. Then steering.

Be very critical when you inspect the wiring. If the insulation is cracked and missing, there can be real problems including fire.

I agree that you need to spend time making sure that you can get clean fuel to the engine.

Check out these suggestions for getting the engine ready to run.

Starting a Long-Idled Chevy