New Turntable project

[harley .guy07]

My father just gave me his MCS 6500 series turntable that he used years ago and said it was a good unit and better than a lot of people gave it credit for because it did not have a brand name on it due to the fact that it is a MCS(JC Penney) brand. I read an article online that said that MCS had table made for them from Pioneer,Hitachi, and several others and I heard that Hitachi made the 6500 but this is not a sure thing so if anyone nows any other info let me know.
My plan is to replace the belt and cartridge with new ones and balance out the tonearm so when I get my cartridge I can put it on I can turn the dial to the prescribed numbers and enjoy. I know its a little dusty and needs some tlc but overall it is in excellent shape for the year made and am quite curious as to how good it will sound with a good phono pre and cartridge. Any help will be appreciated since I am kind of new to the whole vinyl thing. I have heard a lot of it but owning your own turntable is like owning a classic car, you have to know its quirks and how to tune it to make it work the best and sound the best. I am rusty on this part of it but I have heard tables like this one sound pretty good for the money spent and I have already opened the back of this thing and it looks as good as new so I think I did fine.