when I had to "engineer" a vacuum leak so i would lean out enough to smog, I pulled the thermo valve line, just after the tee to the MC valve. Leaned out pretty good, it's a direct manifold port. I would look there, your charcoal canister hoses as well, esp. where it goes onto the carb.
thank you, thats a step in the right direction, i'll take a look at those lines. i am really getting to the point of buying like 25 feet of hose and just giving the whole system a "face lift"