To accomplish both items, "brakes need to be gone through" and "safe operation"... At a minimum, I would start with Master cylinder, rebuild master, and all wheel cylinders, replace all brake lines (rubber as well as the steel ones) and inspect the brake shoes. Even better would be to put an upgraded brake system on it with power brakes, disc in the front, and a dual-circuit master cylinder....
Both of those, if you had all the parts, are doable in a couple of days. You should be able to get the parts to rebuild everything locally, Napa or a brake supply house.
