I didn't wait too long to try to apply power (against my better judgment, I guess). The set was a 4 hour drive from me so as soon as I got it, while the other half checked out the local Palisades Mall, I plugged the set in to a 110 watt power inverter connected to my minivan's cigarette lighter. I figured that if there was something seriously wrong, the inverter would overload and nothing would happen.
As I was told, tubes appeared to light, but nothing else happened, and that's exactly what happened.
Step 1 was to visit the Providence Public Library for the relevant Sams Photofact. The Sams website contains an index to help you find the proper set and folder number. Two model numbers with the TV-208 base showed up (sets 91 & 95) so I asked for both at the library information desk. The first (TV-208) looked exactly like my set, the second (TV-210) included a hinged cover over the front. I noticed that the circuitry was different but didn't look too closely, so I copied the entire TV-208 manual and the schematic for the TV-210.
Step 2 was to disassemble the set and lay the chassis out on the bench. The chassis is in two pieces, the RF, IF, HV, & AF sections are on one chassis along the bottom of the cabinet, the CRT, deflection, and power supply sections are on the other chassis mounted on the side of the cabinet.
After hooking up the set to the variac, the voltage was slowly brought up. Checking the DC voltages showed no B+ at all. Then I noticed that the innards of my set matched the other TV-210 schematic. So while I had the schematic, I had no parts lists, they would have to wait for the next trip to the PPL.
A power resistor directly after the rectifier was found to be open so for the moment, I bridged it with the DVM set to current, that way I could monitor the current draw while inching up the Variac, thinking that something caused that resistor (18 ohm 5W) to open. At about 50-55VAC a loud hum issued from the speaker. A quick check with the scope confirmed that the filters were probably nearly open. That was it for the first night.