I've both shot and developed films from the 70s and 80s era, and the results can be anywhere from horrendous to excellent. It depends on the speed of the film, when it was exposed, how it was exposed, how it was stored, etc.
I've developed a few films from the 1980s that have had no problems at all. I've shot films even older without issue.
From my viewpoint, there's nothing fancy technique-wise to this. Your best bet is to use a normal developer (I've had good luck with D-76, HC-110 and Dektol, depending on the film), and do a clip test before processing the entire roll. You should be able to tell from that if the fog levels are acceptable, and whether or not you need to develop more or less to compensate for exposure or deterioration of the latent image.
Try it out and let us know how it goes!