decided to look into replacement vacuum lines to sort out this nagging idle surge ive had since purchase. found three lines which were cracked past the fittings, one being visibly cracked to where a large volume could leak in. also noticed the fitting on the intake side being chock full of gunk that had the thing clogged, and also leading into the manifold. using carb cleane, cleaned it out and scooped the gunk out from what i could manage. the line led to the PS pump via ACV. on startup the thing spat blue smoke for a hot second before clearing up, i presume the carb cleaner and gunk i sprayed into it got combusted but otherwise, car is way more responsive, idles correctly, and generally less grumpy while pulling from stops. next thing i plan is to either get a spare intake manifold to have cleaned, or do it to my own manifold. overall pleased with how it looks too, just the LCE silicone hose DIY kit in black. highly recommend it to be done as a cheap, but quality of life thing.
Will likely use this thread to update on any further mods or maintanence things i do to the engine. i plan to replace the oil pan next, as its totally crumpled on the front sump section. (or hammer it out as they are reasonably scarce from what ive learned)