So turns out it was a vacuum leak!
I checked the lines again, all my vacuum line and the rubber hose connectors are in good shape, soft and pliable.
I jacked the car in the air and crawled under it to find the ports under the intake manifold, which I didn't realize were there. Sure enough one of the lines, the one connected to the larger black line, had came off the port. It was little difficult to get my big hand in there and slip it back on but after doing so everything seemed to smooth out.
Adjusted the mixture a little leaner to get the idle to smooth out. It still runs rich and the idle is not as smooth as it could be. I'll take it over to the shop I've been dealing with and have the potentiometer adjusted to spec.
Hopefully this is the cure , we'll see.
Thanks for your help. it was the hint I needed.

now to fix the odometer, wheel bearings and shifter linkage bushings.