Did we get the diesel with 4 spd +OD in the UK?
 

I'm not overly familiar with the 700/900 series, other than sitting in the boot of my dad's 940 when I was 7 or 8...

Did the UK market get the M46 gearbox (4 speed plus overdrive) mated to the D24T diesel engine? I want to experiment if I can mate a VW diesel lump to an old M45 (upgrading it with stronger bits from the M46 if possible too), as there's no room for an overdrive or 5 speeder for a few reasons...

And if we did get that in the UK - does anyone have one they'd part with?

I don't know if the M46 was available on the D24T or not but given that various different boxes were fitted to petrol engines in the 7/9xx i'd suggest it would be a fair bet that with the right bellhousing you could fit the M45, 46 or 47 to the engine.

If space is a problem, it sounds as if you're not fitting it into a 7/9xx as there's plenty of room in them not just for a manual box, but the comparative bulk of the auto boxes (ZF4HP22 and AW7x) so what are you fitting it into?

The laplander - it needs to mate to the original transfer box and it all sits under the floor, any larger gearbox etc. Would necessitate losing useable floor space in the back...

If you want a higher mph/1000rpm for more relaxed "cruising" or economy, have you considered a Toyota gearbox?

A lot of enthusiasts use them when fitting a relatively powerful engine to a small (ish) car because they tend to be very compact but are able to cope with large amounts of power and torque.

You've obviously changed the engine from what i can find, i have to confess i'd never heard of the Laplander so had to look it up - Volvos answer to the Hummer in simple terms!

Looking at it i'm surprised you can shoehorn a straight six diseasel in there, i'm wondering if maybe something like a Lexus LS400 V8 with auto box running on LPG would be a better alternative to gaining economy.
The Toyota/Lexus A430 box is an AW71 in disguise so shouldn't be too much trouble getting things lined up, connected etc and with the engine being a 4.0 V8, not appreciably longer than a 2.0 4-pot and made of alloy keeps the weight down as well.

Just a few other ideas, may or may not be useful but might trigger another line of thought - were there not any VW RWD vans or similar that used a 5-speed box, perhaps ZF or Getrag that would fit?

Thanks for all that, some good points to consider!

My main issue with sticking in any other gearbox is that I need to mate it to the existing transfer box to keep it 4wd. A Landy one could be used in a divorced setup ei with a propshaft running from the gearbox to the t box, but length with an 82" wheelbase is an issue, I can't really have the propshafts any shorter!

The Laplander has the B20A engine, a basic single carb setup from the Amazon. It's very possible to get enough torque and power from it, and that's what I may end up doing.

The straight 6 may be a squeeze in the engine bay - but the C303 military on came with the B30 fitted. I'm mainly looking at the 2.5 5 cylinder as fitted to the 850s etc, as I believe it shares the bellhousing bolt pattern with the D24, but is more compact and lighter, and I love 5 pots.

The V8 idea is something I had considered too, but the width of them becomes an issue, as if I widen the engine bay there'll be nowhere for me to sit!

A nicely tuned B20 may be the answer, but I'd like to try diesel power. Longer diff ratios can be fitted then to get the revs down, currently it's geared for 4000rpm at 60 in top, and that's probably as quick as it'll go, once I have it on the road that is...

Given that extra information, i'd find a B20B with the twin carbs and higher compression head, that will immediately give you an improvement in power and torque and if you're lucky enough to find it attached to the gearbox, there's a high chance it will be the M46 overdrive jobby from the Amazon/140 range which i think (not sure) is shorter than the later M46 used in the 2/7/9xx series.
Another alternative would be the B230 turbo motor from a later 940, not sure whether the LPT or HPT would be better for you in terms of torque or you could simply turbo the B20A that's in there at the moment - the compression ratio should be low enough!

Not knowing the vehicle i'm not sure what else to suggest but a session with a tape measure on a nearby LS400 might confirm whether the V8 is a viable option. It fits happily in the 7xx engine bay with plenty of room so arguably it would fit in the C202.

https://youtu.be/lF0YuT9x9hk

Haven't a clue what language that's in but you can get the gist from his tone, body language and what he's actually doing.

B20B is indeed the easy option, and one which would preserve the character of the thing!

As far as I can see there's no way to have overdrive and the transfer box, unless perhaps I managed to use a mechanical one similar to series Landies. Ultimately my question is if I could use the front end of an M46 diesel setup to marry a TDI to the existing M45 and transfer box.

In terms of gearing, I can get new diff gear sets quite readily, so with more torque that would be my first port of call.

The 740 engine bay is a fair bit wider than the C202, given you have all the space between the inner wings, in this you sit next to it, it's narrow at the top with a B20 and single SU in it, even if a V8 could be made to fit, it would be a nightmare to work on!

Just to confirm, Volvo 740 and 940 came with the M46 gearbox and D24T engines until the introduction of the M90 (1994ish?) :)

With standard wheels and tyres, mine does 2900rpm at 70mph.

What's the Swedish for "shoe-horn"? :err:

Looks like you need one to get that engine in (or out!) and having seen it in situ now, if you do go down the B20B route, maybe consider a bespoke engine management system with throttle body injection or a 45 DCOE or similar downdraught version (40 IDF?) carb as i don't think you'll have enough room for the standard twin Strombergs.

If you do, maybe change them for MGB V8 style SU carbs, obviously rejetted to suit as they had very shallow suction chambers so may fit easier.

You've certainly got an interesting project on your hands! ;) :D

I'm a bit lost as to what this is being fitted to... any pics? :D