Probably not the cleanest way to do it, but atleast it seems to function. Let me know if you have trouble:
Code:
$stylevar[htmldoctype]
<html dir="$stylevar[textdirection]" lang="$stylevar[languagecode]">
<head>
<!-- no cache headers -->
<meta http-equiv="Pragma" content="no-cache" />
<meta http-equiv="Expires" content="-1" />
<meta http-equiv="Cache-Control" content="no-cache" />
<!-- end no cache headers -->
$headinclude
<title><phrase 1="$vboptions[bbtitle]">$vbphrase[x_powered_by_vbulletin]</phrase></title>
</head>
<script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-xxxxxxxx-1";
urchinTracker();
</script>
<body>
$header
$navbar
<div style="float:left;width:178px;">
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" align="center">
<tr>
<td><img src="$stylevar[imgdir_misc]/sideleft.gif" border="0" alt="" /></td>
<td class="sidebg" valign="middle" align="center" width="100%">
Forum Information
</td>
<td><img src="$stylevar[imgdir_misc]/sideright.gif" border="0" alt="" /></td>
</tr>
</table>
<table class="tborder" border="0" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" width="100%" align="center">
<tr>
<td class="alt1">
<b>Forum Members:</b> $numbermembers<br />
<b>Total Threads:</b> $totalthreads<br />
<b>Posts:</b> $totalposts<br />
<br />
<b>Forum Staff:</b><br /><br />
Here you can type out your staff names.
<br />
<br />
There are currently <span class="staff"><b>$totalonline</b></span> users online.
</table>
<br />
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" align="center">
<tr>
<td><img src="$stylevar[imgdir_misc]/sideleft.gif" border="0" alt="" /></td>
<td class="sidebg" valign="middle" align="center" width="100%">
Advertisements
</td>
<td><img src="$stylevar[imgdir_misc]/sideright.gif" border="0" alt="" /></td>
</tr>
</table>
<table class="tborder" border="0" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" width="100%" align="center">
<tr>
<td class="alt1">
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "pub-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx";
/* 160x600, created 3/5/08 */
google_ad_slot = "xxxxxxxxxx";
google_ad_width = 160;
google_ad_height = 600;
//-->
</script>
<script type="text/javascript"
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
</script></td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<table border="0" width="80%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center">
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="100%">
<!-- main -->
$forumbits
$forumhome_markread_script
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" align="center">
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="<if condition="$vboptions['showmoderatorcolumn']">6<else />5</if>"><div class="smallfont"><strong>
<a href="forumdisplay.php?$session[sessionurl]do=markread">$vbphrase[mark_forums_read]</a>
<a href="showgroups.php?$session[sessionurl]">$vbphrase[view_forum_leaders]</a>
</strong></div></td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />
<!-- /main -->
<!-- what's going on box -->
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" align="center">
<tr>
<td><img src="$stylevar[imgdir_misc]/catleft.gif" border="0" alt="" /></td>
<td class="tcat" valign="middle" width="100%">
$vbphrase[whats_going_on]
</td>
<td><img src="$stylevar[imgdir_misc]/catright.gif" border="0" alt="" /></td>
</tr>
</table>
<table class="tborder" cellpadding="$stylevar[cellpadding]" cellspacing="$stylevar[cellspacing]" border="0" width="100%" align="center">
<if condition="$show['loggedinusers']">
<!-- logged-in users -->
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="thead" colspan="2">
<a style="float:$stylevar[right]" href="#top" onClick="return toggle_collapse('forumhome_activeusers')"><img id="collapseimg_forumhome_activeusers" src="$stylevar[imgdir_button]/collapse_thead$vbcollapse[collapseimg_forumhome_activeusers].gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<a href="online.php$session[sessionurl_q]" rel="nofollow">$vbphrase[currently_active_users]</a>: $totalonline (<phrase 1="$numberregistered" 2="$numberguest">$vbphrase[x_members_and_y_guests]</phrase>)
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
<tbody id="collapseobj_forumhome_activeusers" style="$vbcollapse[collapseobj_forumhome_activeusers]">
<tr>
<td class="alt2"><a href="online.php$session[sessionurl_q]" rel="nofollow"><img src="$stylevar[imgdir_misc]/whos_online.gif" alt="$vbphrase[view_whos_online]" border="0" /></a></td>
<td class="alt1" width="100%">
<div class="smallfont">
<div style="white-space: nowrap"><phrase 1="$recordusers" 2="$recorddate" 3="$recordtime">$vbphrase[most_users_ever_online_was_x_y_at_z]</phrase></div>
<div>$activeusers</div>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
<!-- end logged-in users -->
</if>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="thead" colspan="2">
<a style="float:$stylevar[right]" href="#top" onClick="return toggle_collapse('forumhome_stats')"><img id="collapseimg_forumhome_stats" src="$stylevar[imgdir_button]/collapse_thead$vbcollapse[collapseimg_forumhome_stats].gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<phrase 1="$vboptions[bbtitle]">$vbphrase[x_statistics]</phrase>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
<tbody id="collapseobj_forumhome_stats" style="$vbcollapse[collapseobj_forumhome_stats]">
<tr>
<td class="alt2"><img src="$stylevar[imgdir_misc]/stats.gif" alt="<phrase 1="$vboptions[bbtitle]">$vbphrase[x_statistics]</phrase>" border="0" /></td>
<td class="alt1" width="100%">
<div class="smallfont">
<div>
$vbphrase[threads]: $totalthreads,
$vbphrase[posts]: $totalposts,
$vbphrase[members]: $numbermembers<if condition="$show['activemembers']">,
<span title="<phrase 1="$vboptions[activememberdays]">$vbphrase[within_the_last_x_days]</phrase>">$vbphrase[active_members]: $activemembers</span>
</if>
</div>
<div><phrase 1="member.php?$session[sessionurl]u=$newuserid" 2="$newusername">$vbphrase[welcome_to_our_newest_member_x]</phrase></div>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
<if condition="$show['birthdays']">
<!-- today's birthdays -->
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="thead" colspan="2">
<a style="float:$stylevar[right]" href="#top" onClick="return toggle_collapse('forumhome_birthdays')"><img id="collapseimg_forumhome_birthdays" src="$stylevar[imgdir_button]/collapse_thead$vbcollapse[collapseimg_forumhome_birthdays].gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>
$vbphrase[todays_birthdays]
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
<tbody id="collapseobj_forumhome_birthdays" style="$vbcollapse[collapseobj_forumhome_birthdays]">
<tr>
<td class="alt2"><a href="calendar.php?$session[sessionurl]do=getday&day=$today&sb=1"><img src="$stylevar[imgdir_misc]/birthday.gif" alt="$vbphrase[view_birthdays]" border="0" /></a></td>
<td class="alt1" width="100%"><div class="smallfont">$birthdays</div></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
<!-- end today's birthdays -->
</if>
<if condition="$show['upcomingevents']">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="thead" colspan="2">
<a style="float:$stylevar[right]" href="#top" onClick="return toggle_collapse('forumhome_events')"><img id="collapseimg_forumhome_events" src="$stylevar[imgdir_button]/collapse_thead$vbcollapse[collapseimg_forumhome_events].gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<if condition="$show['todaysevents']">$vbphrase[todays_events]<else /><phrase 1="$vboptions[showevents]">$vbphrase[upcoming_events_for_the_next_x_days]</phrase></if>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
<tbody id="collapseobj_forumhome_events" style="$vbcollapse[collapseobj_forumhome_events]">
<tr>
<td class="alt2"><a href="calendar.php$session[sessionurl_q]"><img src="$stylevar[imgdir_misc]/calendar.gif" alt="$vbphrase[calendar]" border="0" /></a></td>
<td class="alt1" width="100%"><div class="smallfont">$upcomingevents</div></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</if>
</table>
<br />
<!-- end what's going on box -->
<!-- icons and login code -->
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" border="0" width="100%">
<tr>
<if condition="!$show['guest']">
<!-- member logout -->
<td align="$stylevar[right]"><a href="login.php?$session[sessionurl]do=logout&logouthash=$bbuserinfo[logouthash]" onclick="return log_out()"><phrase 1="$bbuserinfo[username]">$vbphrase[log_out_x]</phrase></a></td>
<!-- end member logout -->
</if>
</tr>
</table>
<!-- / icons and login code -->
</td>
</tr>
</table>
$footer
</body>
</html>
Essentially you're problem is that you want them side by side, and frankly I hate using tables, as tables is pretty much ghetto now. CSS is the way to go, and I would find a way to avoid tables as much as possible. Essentially what you're looking for is CSS Columns, fixed width Column and Liquid column. Liquid being the one with your forum content as you don't have a fixed width. Search google and you'll find some good resources.
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