I have an m46 tranny from a 1982 242 that I'm thinking about selling. What kind of market is there for this tranny and how much could i sell it for?

Thank you,
1980 244 GL

I agree with the nickvjr. Your question is very relevant to my situation. I bought an M46 for < $100 at a junkyard. It seems to be in great condition. I'm taking a tranny class and will rebuild it. After searching for parts (very difficult) for two days, I ballpark a basic rebuild at $200, which my instructor applauds me for being economical. The tranny is for my personal use/back-up purposes (what I don't back up always seems to go wrong).

I thought of creating a side business of rebuilding Volvo manual trannies, because NO ONE in the San Fran Bay Area does this. I found out why: parts are hard to find and it's expensive. However, I think it would be cost effective for Volvo people to buy them. Consider it this way: labor alone for a R/R on a RWD manual tranny is $300-$400 on the cheap end. Those who know would pick up a junkyard tranny that's in decent condition (may have 100-150k of life left) for $100. That's $450 out the door on average for 100-150k of life. Rebuilding that tranny would add $200 but easily double it's life. You would definitely save money, but what you're really saving is down time.

The other factor to consider is how often the clutch needs to be changed. You know that you must pull the tranny to change the clutch; a local shop quoted me $550 for R/R of a clutch on a RWD 240

I'm sure that you would be able to find someone in need of a M46 tranny but keep in mind that trannys are fairly cheap at any bone-yard and if you M46 has lots of miles I would not see any real advantage to your M46 over a bone-yard one. Good Luck!

Sincerely,
--
Julio Meza

1979 264GL B27F 122K

Features Added:

BW55 To M46, Central Locking System, 25mm IPD Front Sway Bar, 81+ Dash W/ Oil & Ambient Temp Gauges In C, Oil Pressure, Volts

Next Project:

+Cruise Control