This is all I have on the backside. I could get a tree that you described and connect both the brake booster and the vacuum line from the transmission here. Would something like this work:


Also, I ran the engine after hooking up everything and it's running smooth. I can smell a little oil with the hood up but I know it's supposed to be going back to the engine now - how prominent should it be and will it be like that all the time?

 

That looks like it should work. Seems kind of pricey, but what doesn’t these days.
You could even make your own out of brass fittings found at the parts store. Which is what it looks like the previous owner did for yours.

I can’t tell from the picture if there’s anything in the way of you threading it in though. This is sometimes the case with one that is shaped like T, rather than one that is shaped like a tree and taller with shorter extensions or angled extensions so that they don’t hit peripheral equipment as your spinning the threads into the hole.
There’s often some little widget in the way that has to be temporarily removed.

 

I would recommend leaving your pcv connected directly to the carb base, not tying it into the line with the brake booster.
1) I don't like taking vacuum away from the brakes if at all possible. I'm kind of funny that way and like my brakes to have priority. Small lines like would be connected with a factory tree is one thing, but PCV is a big draw. FYI, the factory vacuum tree would have a restrictor built into it to help hold vacuum in the booster and cut down on the radical swings whenever the throttle is cracked.
2) and maybe this is the more important one from a function standpoint, vacuum is created by the piston drawing down on the intake stroke, pulling the air and fuel mixture into the cylinder. If you hook up your pcv to the brass fitting going into that one runner, all of your crankcase gasses will be concentrated going into that one cylinder, potentially contaminating the air/fuel mixture and/or fouling the spark plug, all of which could lead to rough running. Having the pcv connected to the carb base allows all cylinders to vent the crankcase together and more evenly distribute the nasty gasses. Make sure that hose is oil rated for PCV emissions, too.

One more thing to keep in mind or check on. Power brake booster hose is special and marked DOT approved. It is made of heavier wall with more reinforcement cords built in to prevent collapse under vacuum conditions. It's also of a unique size to keep guys from using the wrong hose type, typically 11/32 for our trucks but there are other sizes, too, so it's important to have the correct fittings for proper operation. Using lesser vacuum hose or fuel hose, like too many guys will do, can result in wall collapse as the hose softens over time and lead to braking issues or failure.

 

Booster hose lasts a long time too. The one in my 79 looks practically new still.

Regarding the PCV connection, that’s what we’ve been discussing all along in this thread. Keeping the PCV valve connected to a full 3/8 barb on the base of the carburetor, and using the single runner manifold fitting for the brake booster only.
Well, brake booster and transmission modulator.

I don’t think they were considering teeing the two together. I only mentioned the letter T, to describe the shape of the fitting that was linked in the previous post.

 

I ordered the tee from Summit ($5 less) and some vacuum caps. I'll plan to cap the port on the front of the carb, run the PCV to the 3/8" on the back of the carb and connect the brake booster/transmission modulator line to the vacuum tee. Any problems with this setup that anyone can think of?
52 Merc - that make sense about fouling one plug. Will just plan to use the other side of the carburetor so it has the proper size port.

I'm sure this is completely unrelated and just a coincidence but the engine just started making a ticking noise rhythmic with the engine rotation - see attached video. Not sure how well you can hear it. The second (shorter) shorter video is from inside the truck.

 

I couldn’t view the videos from my phone, but ticking can be many things.
Can be an exhaust leak believe it, or not. Can be a lifter failing, or anything coming loose in the valvetrain. Could also be low oil, pressure, and probably other things as well.

What kind of oil are you using? And how long have you been using it?
Are you using specifically formulated oils for older engines with flat tappet cams? If not, are you adding the ZDDP/zinc additives to the oil that you are using?

 

The exhaust is new. The PO put headers and glass packs on it... I had a shop custom fit the Ford layout with 2-1/2" pipe

I was thinking lifters although the engine was rebuilt from the bottom up before I purchased it. I attached a picture of the oil I have used. I changed it shortly after I got the truck which was approximately 15 months ago since I didn't know when it was changed last (although it only has 10k on the rebuild). It's coming up on 2,500 miles right now and I was planning to do it every 3k. I will check the level when I get home but I did check it about a week ago and it was good.

 

OK, that should be good.
So it’s not likely to be a failing cam or lifter with that oil.
Of course, without knowing the engine’s total history, it could still be anything.

And frankly, as we’ve discussed many times here on the forum, new does not mean it’s going to last as long as the older stuff. And headers leak. Period…
Maybe not always, but often.
So having someone tighten them down, or add new gaskets, or do anything, means that they can still cause ticking it short order.
Sometimes you get lucky and they last for months or years. Sometimes you’re not so lucky, and they start leaking within weeks.

 

Finally got the parts and a decent day to work on it. Here is the finished product. Brake booster and transmission modulator are tied to to the new port going directly into the intake manifold while the PCV line is going to the back of the carburetor. I capped the line on the front of the carburetor. I used hose clamps for the port on the intake manifold but not on the line going to the carburetor. I'm going to need to get a new spring clamp if that's necessary since I can't really get back there to tighten much else. Let me know what you think

I also crawled around to look for a source for the knocking noise. You called it - it was the exhaust... It's new and in great shape but I had a shop rebuild the transmission and when they hooked the exhaust back up they didn't use a pinch nut or double nut, they just tightened it with a single nut and two of three came loose....

 

Looks good from here.
If you ever want to get fancy, you can replace half of that hose with 3/8 metal tube that you hand bend yourself, And just use rubber tube at the ends.
It’s kind of relaxing to sit there in the garage bending tubes to fit around obstacles and make it look like a factory installation.
Then again, since this will probably work just fine, you could just leave it alone! :-)

 

Thanks for all the help in getting this done. I will probably do something with that PCV line - I don't like how it looks even if it is functional. The metal line would look nice and I would like to add an elbow at the PCV. I think that hose will start collapsing over time since it has to make a bend and then drop down to go into the carburetor.

 

3/8" Copper tubing will last forever, can be polished or painted, is easy to form and stays formed and many PCVs have the hose bib at 90 degrees, then it will lie down closer to the intake. Actually, unless you have a use for that rubber line, just a PCV with the 90* bib will let you shorten the hose a inch or two ... and it will lie down too.

 

And after years of not paying attention to that little detail, I finally found out that many of those 90° PCV valve fittings just popped right off the top and would slip over the top of the vertical ones like you have.
Quick snap and you’re done.

Instead, I took the long way and searched for a PCV valve that already had the 90 that would work.
Tried a few and found them not working well. Mostly’70’s Fords. Let too much air in and created basically a lean condition. With them it stumbled off idle immediately, so I went with Plan B.
The one for a 1970 Corvette worked perfectly on my ‘71 302.

if you can find an old one laying around that you can pop the top off of, you might be good to go.