there is a sender or sensor of some sort broken off of the thermostat housing in my 1984 monte carlo ss. im not sure what it is. there is also vacuum hoses that dont mate with anything. Someone told me this is a common problem and to just put some screws in the hoses and dont bother with it until the car stops running. i really want to recreate the factory setup, but finding the parts is getting frustrating. any ideas?  

Ah, yes!

The part that's broken on your engine is the ported vacuum switch. It operates on temperature to block/allow vacuum flow through certain routes depending on engine temp.

You can get a new ported vacuum switch at most parts stores, don't plug the lines, install a new switch and hook the lines back up.  

thank you so much. That was easier than i thought. My other question is where to get a factory style single input air filter housing and the tube that goes to it. there is the holes where the intake was bolted right behind the bumper but it is gone.