[quaddriver]

wellll.....there are lots of places to hook the gauges to, and you do, but at different times...

high port, low port

you want, to start off, a port BELOW the throttle plates, which will read nice and high at idle. It will give you the most insight to vacuum diagnosable (I made that word up) items.

typically, for emissions and lower Nox, the vacuum advance ran on high port, or something above the throttle plates...lower advance at idle, increasing with rpm and hence when the vacuum moves UP the bores. There will be somewhere a thermal vacuum switch for when the coolant at the manifold (right after the heads) gets too hot, it switches over to a lower port which has a higher vacuum closed throttle which advances the timing and cools the cylinder heads and lowers nox - crude, but as effective as it needed to be.

Can you read the VECI label (vehicle emission control info label) either on the air cleaner, hood, or radiator valence. The most bang for the buck (lowest cost, least work, best results) you are going to get will be from replacing what HAS to be cracked leaking hoses, and verifying all the components work. Make sure any vacuum reservoirs are not holed, the choppers (they delay a vacuum signal change) all work.

and another thing you can do it warm the car up good and warm and make sure the choke has pulled off fully - butterfly utterly open, any lockout lever moved away.

socializing in college? they do that?