I plan on having my 65 122 or 73 P1800es follow me in my RV. Does anyone have experience flat towing these, will the Overdrive take it or do I ned a drive shaft disconnect?
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65 122, 73 P1800ES, 80 262C, 87 780, and a plethora of parts cars and eventually to be finished projects

I can't absolutely say you will damage the tranny if you don't disconnect the driveshaft. But towing with the D-shaft connected means spinning the OD output flange, the OD innards, and the tranny mainshaft (aka output shaft). This always happens when coasting. (If it didn't, we'd get no engine braking.)

But the tranny's Input shaft doesn't spin, since the engine is not running. This means that the Idler Gear (aka Cluster Gear/Layshaft) won't be spinning either. And it's the spinning Idler Gear that normally provides the splash lubrication inside the tranny. So when towing, there will be NO LUBRICATION for the spinning mainshaft, its rear bearing, and all the needle bearings or bushings for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd speed drive gears, synchro hubs, etc.—all riding that spinning mainshaft—with no oil splashing.
Unless the driveshaft is disconnected.

Many say they've towed RWD cars without disconnecting the driveshaft and suffered no damage. I'd say no apparent or immediate damage. But what about possible shortened bearing/bushing life? It's not a gamble I'd want to take, when I can have the driveshaft uncoupled and tied to one side in 1/2 hour or so.

MotorHome magazine's web site and Pensketruckrental.com also recommend it...

Q: Why is it that a vehicle with rear-wheel drive cannot be towed with all four wheels down?
A: Nearly all non-4WD rear-wheel-drive transmissions will be damaged if they are turned by the driveshaft for long periods without the engine running to circulate lubricants within them. Therefore they are not towable for long distances or at highway speeds.
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Pensketruckrental.com (Dolly towing instructions)
12. Disconnect the drive shaft on the towed vehicle if rear-wheel or four-wheel drive. Consult your dealer if you are uncertain of the above. Towing above vehicle without disconnecting drive shaft will damage towed vehicle's transmission even if transmission is placed in neutral.
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Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

As far as attaching the tow bar brackets, plenty of structure up there to do this right....envineer it well and have the safety chains attached elswhere.

I've towed an 18 foot trailer up to PEI, Canada with a 4500 pound tractor plus other stuff on it. It was intimidating at first but after 850 miles it was like I had always done it. I like the idea of the car on a trailer and covered way better than towing the car itself. I like the idea of an enclosed trailer even better. My neighbor has a 1973 GMC Motor Home and tows an almost mint 2w drive 1996 Geo Tracker behind it. He has a special rig that is mounted to the frame (trackers have frames not unibody) and folds up when it's not in use. The most obvious problem with this set up is the damage that's being done to the front of his tracker from flying debris.

I'd hate to have to pull out the universal bolts and put them back in every time I wanted to use the car. If you're headed to a campsite and are staying put it wouldn't be so bad, but if you're touring and moving from campsite to campsite it'll get old fast even if you were getting better at it.

this post is really about the OD so maybe title it so the OD folks reply....as far as towing, plenty of structure on the front of a 120 to attach tow bar brackets to, I like towing four down as it is easier to use the toad when required and less weight than dollies etc..research the od though....pretty sure you don't need to disconnect the prop shaft, and again better if you don't need to, just more hassle and not something i want to do every time I want to use the toad.
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Patrick, '68 220 , '53 GMC 4104, '97 VW Transporter.

Why risk it?
I would disconnect the driveshaft. It's only 4 bolts.
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"Differences of opinions should be tolerated, but not if they're too different' - Sharon Craig

Just make sure you paint/mark the shaft so that when reattaching it you use the same holes. The 122 almost has enough clearance so that you don't need a jack if you slide around on a piece of cardboard.

I always prefer a car trailer to keep all of the wheels off the ground. It also makes backing up easier when required. Less wear and tear and a good car cover keeps the road grime off.
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My name is Klaus and I am a V♂lv♂holic

SAVE YOUR VOLVO!

Use a full Volvo (car) carrier attached to that RV you have there.

RWD Volvo FOREVER!

cheers,

dud.

My concern is the Tow bar and how best to attach to the front of 122. I blew out the timing gears on my 122 in rural NC and had to rent a tow bar that attached to the bumper w/ clips top and bottom. The tow bar pulled the left side bumper bracket bolts out of the frame in GA. and it all separated, pulling us off the road. Fortunately,we were slowing for a red light at 10 mph.

I share this thinking that here in FLA I see tons of towed cars on or off the RV's, and all have a heavy duty tow bar bracket on the towed car that MUST go under the "bumper" and be welded/secure to a "frame" piece.

Just saying- 122's are all chrome bumper, so engineer it like a rock. We used a VW tow bar to get my 122 back to FLA, and that on went way under and we attached to the lower control arms. of course the bumper was ripped off in the
prior fracas. You could remove bumper and use those frame bracket holes for the tow bracket.
You just don't want the Volvo to pass you on the interstate.

Kayo in FLA

If it's an electric overdrive like I had in my '65 MGB, there's a little plunger pump that works all the time it's turning. I had mine seize when the gearbox was low on oil.
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1992 745, >500k km