GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

so i payed 200 bucks today for a fun weekend project for me...1981 ford f150 4x4 with a 351 windsor and 4.11 gears, holy crap this thing takes off.... im still trying to figure out how the TTB (twin traction beam with a dana 44) works, its like half IFS and half solid front axle....evedentially you can lift it and lower it by adding washers to this screw...sounds like fun..this thing is beat up and rusty but its going to give me lots of fun! i need to get a new distributer and battery but thats about it, oh and i need to get a new exhaust manifold gasket (yes its friggin loud and its not sealed) ill get some pictures of it up soon, its the most awesome vehicle you could find for 200 bucks! should have good traction in the snow too...

I don't know a lot about trucks but... I thought Dana 44's was a mopar thing.maybe I'll learn something today... just as everyday on this site.Can't wait to see a pic or two of the rust bucket. I'm sure it'll be fun.. esp. for $200!

That is SWEET man....You should do something like this, but with a Vibe body....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!What you can't see in the pic, is that it still has the strut rear suspension over the leaf springs, so it's dual suspension in the rear and hinged on the front... I got to ride in that BEAST, it was a 87' Subaru GL on a 73' Ram Charger chassis, with a 318ci under hood... Talk about WOW.... The first thing the guy did was to nose it up to a 4' high "hill" stop for a sec, and then PUNCHED it.... WOW... I got about a 5min ride and only about 30sec of it could you see, and that was only when he went through the STREAM at 40mph..!!! The rest of the time the wiper were just smearing mud....!!!!Hill on left, with 2 tracks....lolDo it, Do it......!!!!!!

nice dude!! im sorta looking for a ford ranger, 4x4 manual to haul around a 4wheeler when i get one AND be my winter beater. just need to finish paying the vibe off next year and the toys will flow in!

Sweet! Now you can take that off-road instead of the Vibe. lol. Can't lose with a $200 functional beater truck. Look forward to seeing your pics.

haha, im glad you guys agree, i can get something other than the vibe airborne now holy crap sublime, that thing is rockin'! how did he ghetto-rig struts in the back to a solid axle? i thought those have only been put on ifs/irs...dana contracted to feeerd for this suspension design and you could get it with a dana 30 or 44 in the front depending on the vehicle, the 4x4 rangers could get up to a dana 30...which is still pretty beefy for something that small...oh and, im glad i spent 200 bucks buying a new vehicle than a cold air intake for the vibe

I'm not 100% sure how he did it anymore, I think just grade 8 bolts through the lower bolt holes of the struts into the frame of the truck... as you can see, he didn't much care if it broke...Boy, you should have seen the crazed look in this guys eyes, he had his own buisness working on Subarus, and you could tell he didn't "get along" in a "normal" job... He was incredible at the service work he did, but crazy as all get out...

well, bought a cheap (removed) battery today, took it for a spin and it died as i was making a right turn at an intersection, i got some dirty looks for that one... >:[ got it running again, and off i was...i finally parked it and i went to get gas for my car, came back and it wouldnt start again...oh well, its gonna be a love/hate relationship for awhile until i get it running well...i took a couple of ghetto cell phone shots of it...oh i forgot to mention that it has a ford 9" rear end, the kind they put in drag cars, its pretty much indestructible...

If you are looking at lifting the truck get a kit from Skyjacker or anyother ones. The twin beam axle is much more durable than that of the IFS if you lift it using shims then it can put the Camber way out. I have driven one of these trucks with the backyard lift and they are scary. In all these things are fun. Just ask Ted Nugent. Have fun with your new toy.

haha, thanks i will, i have to get it working properly first this thing has the beastly-est skidplates ive ever seen, these are soo thick...

Thanks for the info on Dana'sthe big ole Ford 9" rear end... that alone is worth the $200!Nice pics... it's what I expected... but still cool for $200!

That looks like 70% of the fords around here...