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The Canadian market 1981 & 1982 242 GLTs were only able to have that great B23E engine of yours by virtue of the fact it wasn't designed to run with a cat converter. Probably wouldn't enjoy a cat even if you gave it one, some kind of cat allergy I think. They weren't required in Canada until 1983. Meanwhile, the USA market GLTs had to settle for the newer, more fuel efficient, but slightly less powerful B21FT that did have a cat. Ref. my earlier reply from a few months back when we were talking about your B23E Pulsair plumbing https://www.brickboard.com/RWD/volvo/1671917/220/240/260/280/installing_water_pumppulsair_b23e.html
I imagine your lifetime warranty issue may have more to do with Walker than Speedy. I ran into a similar situation with a Walker I got through Lordco not that many years ago. Walker gives a lifetime guarantee with their "premium" mufflers. The Starla branded muffler that Walker sells for our old Volvo is described in their literature as "premium", so many shops might take that to mean lifetime warranty and may tell the customer that. When you read the fine print in the Walker warranties it's not covered. It would probably have to be from their full SS line, not just SS baffled. Now if Speedy had given you something in writing that clearly indicated lifetime then you'd have a leg to stand on. As others are saying, you more than got your money's worth.
Even with a lifetime warranty, muffler shops often nickel and dime you to death on installation fees and shop supply charges, not to mention doing their best to uopsell you on other muffler parts and brakes by crushing rusty connector pipes, poke holes in the other muffler, use their torches on full blast to cut through clamps and free sticky joints or that 1/4" of remaining brake pad lining is a hazard to your stopping ability. Do I sound a bit jaded against heavily franchised muffler shops? Well, they more than earned that reputation with me on many occasions. Lately I've been getting my "premium" Starla mufflers direct from Worldpac through an online discounter and if I have trouble installing them then I just give them to a friendly garage with a lift and proper torch. Just make sure you've got any needed hangers on hand, and if you prefer the strap clamps as I do over the U-bolt clamps, then those as well. I'd go with whatever is cheap and has a minimum 2 year guarantee in writing to suggest it's got thick enough metal to perhaps last longer.
In my experience, 140/240's seem extra good at eating through pipes and mufflers compared to the later 740/940 designs. The longevity of your muffler can be greatly improved by making sure the engine gets up to full operating temperature and the rearmost muffler gets hot enough to evaporate any condensation, plus parking under cover to reduce condensation in the first place. The 140/240 under axle connector pipe design in the early models only seemed to make things worse. About the only trick I ever bother with these days is making sure the tail pipe extends on a slightly downward slant to promote drainage of condensation.
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Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now
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