Car gas 51 is complete shit. Suspension and transmission

Sergey Shumakov

Lawn that is not grass

In November 1953, the first preparatory brigades of the virgin lands conquerors arrived in the Kustanai steppe. And although the rise of virgin lands officially began in 1954, its development began when teams of builders arrived at the site of future virgin sovkhozes, who erected barracks for future virgin lands during the winter. And the first brigades of barrack builders, who did not yet know that in 55 years the American president would be called Barack, got to the place through deep snow on the bare steppe not on snowmobiles and not on all-terrain vehicles, but on ordinary rear-wheel drive trucks.

The biography of this car began at 19 37, when the Gorky Automobile Plant named after Molotov was instructed to develop a replacement for the obsolete lorry. The need to replace the lorry is long overdue. Its organic shortcomings - the low reliability of the frame, suspension, front axle, driveline, steering mechanism - could not be corrected, so the truck required a huge amount of spare parts. Such fragility was a consequence of the marketing policy of Henry Ford, whose Ford AA truck was the prototype . Ford set a price on the finished car that barely covered the cost. But on spare parts, he received 2.5 times more profit than on finished cars.

before the war it was supposed to be released like this.

The carrying capacity of the lorry was also insufficient. Therefore, by the end of the 30s, the party and the government, represented by Stalin and Molotov, began to think about mastering the production of a new truck. The prototype was made in the spring of 1941, managed to go through a full cycle of tests, but its introduction into the series delayed the start of the war.

Work on a promising car resumed in 1943, but the experience of the war, the presence of captured and allied equipment in front of the eyes made significant adjustments to the design. Leading designer Prosvirnik radically reconfigured and modified the truck, and from the pre-war one, in essence, only the name remained.

First of all, the cabin has undergone changes. If on a 1941 car the cabin looked like the cabins of the then cars, then in 1943 it became like a reduced cabin .

GAZ-93 - a dump truck created on the basis of GAZ-51 - widely used in the national economy.

Although such a cabin looked spartan, compared to the cabin of a lorry, it was the height of comfort and ergonomics. On the dashboard, in contrast to the same lorry, in the cockpit of which there was only a primitive speedometer, in which not an arrow rotated, but a scale, there was a complete set of instruments that is also available in modern cars. There were even watches in the cabin - just like in. The windshield of the cab was not just a windshield, but also a windshield - rising up, it could open, letting the headwind into the cab. In the conditions of the Kazakh heat, such a technical solution could not be underestimated. In addition, a soft suspension with effective shock absorbers, unusual for a truck, was developed. All this was done in order to make the driver feel not like a draft cab, but the driver of a modern vehicle.

In addition to the cab, the brake drive has also undergone changes: instead of the originally provided mechanical brakes, a hydraulic brake cylinder has appeared. The dimensions of the tires were also increased, as a result of which, instead of the expected two-ton load capacity, the weight of the maximum load reached 2.5 tons.

GAZ-51 was used not only to transport goods, but also passengers. In the countryside, collective farmers were transported in its back to the place of trifling work and back. Kolkhoz im. Michurin, Alma-Ata region, 1955.

The famous engine was used as the power unit GAZ-11 .

By the way, about the engine.

The history of this motor began back in 1928, when a six-cylinder lower valve engine "Dodge-D5". The engine developed a power density of 22-24 hp / liter, which was quite large for that time, and at the same time was fantastically reliable. Then, in the twenty-eighth, such technical innovations as replaceable bimetallic crankshaft bearing shells, a thermostat in the cooling system, 100% oil filtration, plug-in heat-resistant exhaust valve seats, a crankcase ventilation system, an automatic ignition timing, oxidized pistons were applied in the engine , floating oil receiver. The engine was very technologically advanced, and non-ferrous metals were not used anywhere, with the exception of pistons, for the manufacture of its parts.

The Dodge D5 had 3¼-inch (82.55 mm) cylinders, a 4.3/8-inch (111.1 mm) stroke, and a displacement of 3,560 cc. cm.

In 1937, Andrey Lipgart, the chief designer of GAZ, went to the USA to select a prototype of a new GAZ engine, which was supposed to be put on a modernized emka. After comparing many samples, he chose the D5. In the Union, the engine was converted to metric dimensions. The cylinder bore was rounded up to 82 mm and the stroke to 110. As a result, the displacement was reduced to 3485 cubic meters. cm. The compression ratio, on the contrary, was increased from 5.6 to 6.5 units, as a result of which the engine power increased from 76 to 85 hp. It was in this form that the motor was installed on the emka, calling this modification GAZ-11-73. The same engine was installed on its all-wheel drive version.

However, its deformed version was installed on it, developingonly 70 hp The compression ratio in it was left American, so that instead of the 66th gasoline, the 56th could be used.

T-246 furniture vans on the GAZ-51A chassis were built from 1959 to 1972 by the pilot plants of Glavmosavtotrans

In May and September 1944, two new samples were built with different options for the design of the limber, and in June 1945, two more finished pre-production samples were created. On June 19, 1945, along with other new Soviet cars, it was shown in the Kremlin to Stalin and members of the government.

Already at the end of 1945, an initial batch of two dozen vehicles was produced, and in 1946, even before the completion of the tests, 3136 serial trucks were produced.

In terms of performance, it significantly exceeded not only a lorry, but even , while consuming 28% less fuel than a lorry and 36% less than .

In 1955, the car underwent modernization, after which it received an index, a disc parking brake, and a year later the body became longer and higher, which now had three folding sides.

In a short time, it became the most common car in the Land of the Soviets. In 1958, the annual output reached its climax - 173 thousand pieces, but in the same year appeared GAZ-52, and the release of the Lawn began to decline. The last one left the assembly line on April 2, 1975 and was sent to the factory museum. The total circulation of Lawns was 3,481,033 units. Under the Soviet license, it was produced in Poland, and they say it is still being produced in North Korea.

In addition, the truck chassis was used to create buses and.

supplied for export. The main buyers were the countries of the socialist bloc, but he also met in capital cities. Of interest are cases of use as a trophy. The Americans, who captured it in Korea, made dumbbells and even railcars on its basis.

GAZ-51N, captured by the Americans and turned into a railcar.

GAZ-51 is a Soviet-made car, which was produced between 1946 and 1975. The legendary "lorry" was replaced by transport, the carrying capacity of which was not enough in the post-war years. The 51st model carried loads weighing up to 2,500 kg.

The first prototype of the GAZ-51 car was prepared before the start of the Second World War. Further development stopped due to the crisis in the Union. It was resumed only in 1946, at the same time mass production was launched. In 1955, the classic version gave way to the 51A, on the basis of which the fire truck and passenger bus were developed in the future. For 29 years, a little less than 3.5 million copies of all varieties have rolled off the assembly line.

The history of the creation of the GAZ-51

The development of a new product at the Gorky Automobile Plant began in early 1937. At the direction of the country's leadership, a machine with a simple design was required, consisting of innovative and most reliable technical components.

The preparation of the necessary documentation lasted a little less than a year and a half. In June 1938, engineers began assembling the first units. Of these, in January of the 39th year, they began designing a prototype. The first finished car was shown to the heads of the enterprise in the spring of the same year. Distinctive features of the new development were a new cab and cladding. Before the start of the war, the dump truck managed to appear at the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition as a promising project.

Field testing took place within 10 months. The car was tested in a variety of conditions, after which they came to the conclusion about its suitability. Since the beginning of 1941, they planned to launch large-scale production, but the beginning of the Second World War forced them to put the new product on the back burner. Many technical units that were part of the GAZ-51 device were used on other developments during the years of hostilities.

By 1943, the Union had recovered from the crushing enemy attack, as a result of which work on the 51st model was resumed. In two years, progress has taken a big step forward, so serious changes had to be made to the design of the machine. Only the name remains of the old one. Engineers replaced everything: the engine, carburetor, hoisting device, GAZ-51 power take-off and much more.

During the first two years of the war, the designers gained a lot of experience, which allowed them to modernize the structure of the power plant, increasing power. The classic braking system was replaced with hydraulic-type mechanisms. The shape of the cabin was changed, making it more comfortable and spacious. Tires got bigger. The weight of the dump truck was reduced, while increasing the maximum load capacity - up to 2.5 tons.

In 1944, two prototypes left the walls of the plant, which were sent to field tests. After them, all identified defects were eliminated. The final serial cars were assembled next year. Their high quality satisfied the first persons of the state, so they began immediate preparations for mass production.

GAZ-51 design

GAZ-51 specifications:

Length - 5.7 m;
Width - 2.3 m;
Height - 2.1 m;
Ground clearance - 24.5 cm;
Wheelbase - 3.3 m;
Weight - 2.7 tons;
Engine capacity - 3.485 l;
Power - 70 hp at 2.8 thousand revolutions;
The highest torque - 205 Nm at 1.5 thousand revolutions;
The highest speed - 70 km / h;
Gas tank - 90 l;
Tires - 7.50-20.

For many years, the Gorky Automobile Plant had a license to assemble an American Dodge engine. By the beginning of the creation of the GAZ-51 truck, it was already very outdated (created in 1928) and required serious improvement, which Russian specialists did. Piston rings to increase the strength of steel coated with a thin chrome layer. Cylinder liners were made from cast iron, created according to the unique formulas of domestic scientists. Also, the design of the motor was supplemented with an oil cooler and a preheater.

The babbit "fills" of the crankshaft were replaced with steel babbit liners. Despite the large volume of the power plant, the compression ratio remained at a low level - no more than 6.2. Thanks to this, drivers could refuse the recommended fuel and use low-quality fuel up to kerosene. Traction characteristics were valued by the military, as they were enough to overcome impassability. To start, use a starter or a handle.

Developing 70 horsepower with a volume of 3.485 liters, the engine had a serious drawback. There was no overdrive, which excluded the possibility of working under serious loads. The oil supply system was designed for low and medium. If the driver violated the operating conditions developed by the enterprise, the engine could fail. When moving at a speed of more than 70 km / h, the melting of babbit from the crankshaft liners began.

Chassis

The chassis is based on two channel-type spars, which make up a wheelbase 3.3 m long. The special arrangement of the engine and the shift of the cab forward became successful solutions. This allowed to leave more "usable" space. The total length is 5.7 m. Moreover, modern mechanics who managed to find a copy of the GAZ-51, through tuning and installing unique body kits, make the car longer.

The GAZ-51 rear axle had an innovative design for its time. He received 16 GAZ-51 axle shafts and 8 satellites. They were connected by washers made of steel of an unusual composition. It was characterized as cyanidated, phosphated low-carbon. Drivers were required to monitor their condition. Failure led to serious damage, so it was always necessary to carry out timely replacement.

The entire design of the GAZ-51 onboard had a drawback: in each part there were several parts that accounted for an increased load. This includes components for brake mechanisms (they were not designed for the mass of a car), a dedicated compartment for an oil pump, a carburetor, and much more. Such spare parts are easily replaced with new ones even in the field. If the driver carefully monitored the transport, its service life could reach 40-50 years.

The frame is tough. Its rear part was equipped with a cruciform cross member to increase strength. The frame arrangement was well connected to both spars. It included unloading braces. Towing devices were fixed under the wings on the frame.

Suspension and transmission

The dependent suspension was made in accordance with the technical requirements of the 50s of the last century. Military and economic specimens received four longitudinal semi-elliptical springs. The rear axle was supplemented with two suspension brackets. A similar device was received by the product of the latest generation of the Gorky Automobile Plant - GAZon Next.

To increase comfort when moving, the front axle of the dump truck was equipped with double-acting hydraulic lever shock absorbers. To ensure good off-road stability (this was necessary with such a weight), the hodovka was supplemented with a heavy king pin and steering knuckle. The bus and other modifications worked on two cardan shafts.

Dry clutch did not have high strength, but was easily repaired with improvised means. The GAZ-51 gearbox had four gears - three forward and one reverse. To increase the stock of a working resource and save materials, the GAZ-51 gearbox was deprived of synchronizers. The shift lever was in the floor. Power steering was absent in military and civilian vehicles.

Varieties of GAZ-51

Based on the standard version, engineers released a lot of modifications, including military vehicles, buses, fire trucks:

63 - four-wheel drive truck, consisting of two axles. Carried cargo weighing up to 2 thousand kilograms. Single tires with acceptable power provided high throughput;
93 - cars designed for the construction industry, carrying capacity - 2,250 kg (in fact, they carried more cargo). The chassis was shortened by 32 cm;
51N is an improved vehicle for the military, which received a cabin from the 63rd model. The carburetor was redesigned, benches were installed along the sides for transporting soldiers and the volume of the gas tank was increased to 105 liters;
51U - standard car for delivery to countries with moderate weather conditions;
51NU - export version of the army variety for areas with a temperate climate;
51B - differed in the fuel consumed - they used compressed natural or coke oven gas (there was no carburetor). During the 11 years of assembly, several limited editions were produced;
51Ж - instead of the usual gasoline, the truck consumed liquefied petroleum gas;
51ZHU - export version of the model with the index "Zh";
51A - improved standard car. The main difference was in the body - it became larger in size;
51F - dump truck with power increased to 80 horsepower. The ignition system was changed to a prechamber-torch;
51AU - an upgraded version supplied to states with a temperate climate;
51Yu - machine for tropical countries;
51C - the variety received an additional 105-liter gas tank;
51SE - similar to the previous version with shielded electrical equipment;
51P - bus with folding seats. In the tailgate, the designers built a semblance of a door and a convenient staircase;
51RU - a bus exported to countries with moderate climatic conditions;
51Т - cargo taxi;
51P - truck-type tractor;
51PU - version "P", supplied to states with a temperate climate;
51PYU - modification "P", exported to tropical countries;
51B - a machine produced for delivery to allied countries with an increased load capacity of up to 3,500 kg. The new power unit (78 hp) worked with a modernized carburetor. The rear axle was installed with GAZ-63;
51D - chassis with a shortened frame, which was used to install various superstructures;
51DU - "D" for delivery to states with a temperate climate;
51DYU - "D", exported to tropical areas;
41 - a prototype half-track transport.

Each species has its own rich history.

History of mass production and export of GAZ-51

Mass production

The first series rolled off the assembly line in 1945. Consisted of 20 copies. They were sent to undergo field tests. In 1946, even before their completion, the enterprise supplied more than 3 thousand GAZ-51s to various industries. Transport easily passed all the tasks, experts characterized it as reliable with a simple design and maintainability.

The car was in great demand both in the army and in agriculture. The main advantage over all competitors was reduced fuel consumption (less by 28-36%). In 1947, the design team of the Gorky Automobile Plant was awarded the Stalin Prize.

Due to the high interest, GAZ could not cope with the production plan. In 1950, part of the orders was "transferred" to the Irkutsk enterprise. The assembly took two years, as the workshops were not equipped with the necessary equipment in sufficient quantities. In 1948, the Odessa Automobile Assembly Plant was connected. He was engaged in the production of the 51st model and numerous modifications until 1975 (until the complete abandonment of obsolete equipment).

The largest release was achieved in 1958 with over 173,000 copies. High quality and great interest confirms the release date - 29 years. The last car was assembled in April 1975. She was placed in the museum of the Gorky enterprise. In total, engineers managed to assemble a little less than 3.5 million trucks, including all modifications. 11.4 thousand vehicles left the workshops of the Irkutsk plant. In the early 50s, the leadership of the Union sold a license for production to Poland. The equipment was produced under the name Lublin-51 until 1959. For 8 years, designers have produced 17.4 thousand copies.

Export

The first model supplied to other states was the 51U. It was positioned as one of the best cars in its class. Until the end of the 1960s, many cars were sent to African and Asian countries (there is no official information on the exact number). A variety with an increased load capacity of up to 3 thousand kg was in high demand in the agricultural sector of Hungary, the GDR and Finland. Some countries have bought permission to produce trucks in their territories.

What can be the conclusion?

GAZ-51 is a legend of domestic engineering, which made an invaluable contribution to the restoration of the USSR in the post-war years. The car turned out to be of such high quality that it can be purchased today on the secondary market. Transport in good condition costs 100-250 thousand rubles. Instances that require repair will cost 20-100 thousand rubles.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

The release of the legendary GAZ-51 truck took place in the fifties and seventies of the last century, this car became a legend of its time. For all the time, about three and a half million trucks left the production line. Recently, this model is almost never found on the roads, but its popularity is quite large.

The history of the creation of the legendary truck dates back to pre-war times. No less well-known by that time was morally obsolete and did not meet the requirements.
GAZ-51 is a Soviet truck with a carrying capacity of 2.5 tons. The most popular truck model, which was produced between 1950 and 1970.

The first samples of this car were developed even before the start of World War II, and the mass production of this car began in 1946, immediately after it ended. After 10 years, in 1955, a new modernized model of this car was developed - the GAZ-51A, which from that moment was produced until 1975.

The design of the basic version of this car, which at first was called the GAZ-11-51, began long before the war, in the winter of 1937. The concept of the new car was formulated extremely precisely - it was required to develop a very simple and reliable truck, which would be assembled from the best, by the standards of those times, perfectly processed and carefully time-tested parts.

In June 1938, the production of units was launched, and in the winter of 1939, their assembly. In May of the same year, a new car model began to undergo road tests. They ended in the summer of 1940. At the same time, the first prototype of the car was presented at the All-Union Exhibition of Agriculture in Moscow, as one of the best examples of the Soviet automobile industry.

I was not satisfied with the carrying capacity of the machine, the reliability of components and assemblies. also did not reach the desired level. It was necessary to create a new truck - simple, and at the same time reliable.

The development of the project began in 1937, at the same time it was decided to create a new six-cylinder engine. The carrying capacity of the new truck was planned to be increased to two tons.

Since the summer of 1938, work began on the manufacture of components for the new machine, and in the days of May 1939, the first experimental model was tested at the test site.

The car was first given a name associated with the brand of the new 6-cylinder GAZ 11 engine, the model had the GAZ 11 51 index.

It looks like a modification of the car GAZ 11 51

The tests were carried out quite successfully, the prototype of the future truck was shown by the GAZ developers at the Moscow agricultural exhibition, which was held in the last pre-war year. Everything was going to launch the GAZ-51 into mass production, but the war interfered with the plans.

Tests on the road were successful, which made it possible for the plant in 1941 to undertake serious preparations for the serial production of the GAZ-51, but this was prevented by the start of World War II. Some parts from this car (engine, clutch, gearbox, cardan joints) had already been successfully produced by the plant by that time. At that moment, they found their application in other machines that were more in demand at that time.

Work on serial production of the car resumed only in 1943. The dynamic development of automotive technology during the war years made its changes to the design of this car. Leading designer of the plant, A.D. Prosvirnin completely reconfigured and thoroughly modified the car. After such actions, from the previously developed car model, which was planned to be produced back in the pre-war period, in fact, only the name itself remained. Due to the fact that in wartime, the designers accumulated quite serious experience in operating six-cylinder engines on combat vehicles, they were subsequently able to thoroughly refine and improve the engine as much as possible at that time, as well as all service systems.

The hydraulic brake drive, which has shown itself very well in world practice, has been added to the project. In addition, the designers also developed a more modern and comfortable cab for the new truck and changed its lining. The dimensions of the tires also increased, its carrying capacity increased a couple of times - to the most optimal at that time 2.5 tons. They also managed to achieve up to 80 percent unification with another car model, an all-wheel drive version of it called the GAZ-63. The latter was designed in parallel with the GAZ-51, right on the adjacent layout boards. Engine unification also stopped at 80% with a four-cylinder engine designed for the future Pobeda.

Technical characteristics of the first models Gas 51

Type of car - Dump truck;
Wheel formula - 4 × 2;
Gross vehicle weight, kg - 2710;
Gross train weight, kg - 7500;
Load capacity, kg - 2500;
Platform area, m2 — no data;
Platform volume, m3 — no data;
The mass of the equipped car, kg - 2710;
Maximum speed (km / h) - 70;
Engine GAZ-51 carburetor, 2800 rpm;
Engine power (hp) - 70;
Gearbox - Mechanical;
Number of gears - 4;
The gear ratio of the drive axles - no data;
Suspension - spring;
Tire size - 7.50-20;
Fuel tank - 90;
Cabin - Double, bonnet layout.

Overall dimensions of the GAZ 51 truck

GAZ-51 modifications

Based on the basic GAZ-51 model, many different modifications were created. Vans, buses, various special equipment were produced. Trucks had their own equipment for the operation of vehicles in hot climatic conditions. "Lawns" were also supplied for the Soviet army, exported to countries with a temperate climate. There was also fire equipment, mail vans, aerial platforms were produced. Cars were produced that could run on natural or petroleum gas.

Here are some of the main modifications created on the basis of the GAZ-51:

Specifications

During all the ongoing upgrades, the curb weight of the GAZ 51 gradually decreased, and eventually became a little more than the carrying capacity. The cabin was also improved - in the first post-war years it was mostly wooden. But metal production in the country gradually improved, and closer to 1950, the GAZ 51 cladding became combined, and even later, only all-metal cabs were produced.

The cabins of the pre-war prototypes of the GAZ 51 cabin looked more like cars of those years. But before launching the truck into the series, the cabin design was changed - it began to resemble the Studebaker, but only in a reduced form. Starting in 1956, the car interior was made heated; before that, the GAZ 51 was not equipped with a stove.

It looks like a stove for a car gas 41

GAZ 51 had the following technical characteristics:

Cabin - stamped metal with rounded shapes;
Number of seats in the cabin - 2;
The mass of a fully equipped car is 2710 kg;
Load capacity - 2.5 tons;
Wheel drive - rear (4x2);
The maximum permitted speed is 70 km / h;
The maximum allowable crankshaft speed is 2800 rpm;
Gearbox - mechanical 4-speed, non-synchronized;
Main gear - conical type;
Engine capacity - 3.485 l;
Number of cylinders in the engine - 6;
The location of the valves in the internal combustion engine is lower, in the cylinder block;
Compression ratio (with aluminum cylinder head) - 6.2;
Ground clearance - 24.5 cm;
Fuel consumption is 20 liters per 100 kilometers (perhaps this is an underestimate).

Technical characteristics of the GAZ 51 truck

For the younger generation, this car is already a rarity. Among them there are many enthusiasts who undertake to restore the faithful hard worker from the wrecked found. It's not uncommon to meet enthusiastic craftsmen obsessed with the desire to make a scale model of the famous truck, and scrupulously accurate. Yes, not just a model, but a family of various vehicles based on it - dump trucks and tanks, buses and vans, "fire" and various utility vehicles.

The name of this car is GAZ-51. Its production ran from January 6, 1946 to September 1956. Then came the turn of the modernized GAZ-51A truck, the release of which lasted until April 2, 1975. The GAZ-51 model also had an all-wheel drive twin, the GAZ-63. Both had 80% common parts and assemblies. This car began to be mass-produced from September 31, 1948, and its production continued until the summer of 1968. As you can see, these cars can rightfully be called centenarians on the assembly line. And, moreover, a colossal number (in terms of truck production) was produced. Cars GAZ-51 and GAZ-51A, for example, the plant "multiplied" in the amount of 3 481033 copies. This is one of the most massive trucks in the world. GAZ-63 and 63A produced 474464 pieces.

Few domestic cars have so far been produced under our licenses or, to be more precise, according to Soviet technical documentation abroad. And here the GAZ-51 is the champion. Since November 1951, the FSC plant in Polish Lublin began its production under the brand name "Lublin-51". Since 1958, the automobile plant in the North Korean city of Dykcheon has organized the production of the Seungri-58 (Victory-58), an exact copy of the Soviet car. A redesigned copy of the GAZ-51 called "Yuejin-134" from the same year was produced by the Jingang plant in China and another plant in the Chinese city of Wuhan. In a word, GAZ-51 has every reason to be called famous.

According to the results of the State tests of the vehicles of the first production batch in 1946, the GAZ-51 received the following assessment: as a result of the tests, it was recognized that the GAZ-51 is a completely modern, high-quality truck, designed taking into account the peculiarities of operation in the Soviet Union.

The history of the GAZ-51 dates back to 1939. Then, under the leadership of Vladimir Mikhailovich Kudryavtsev, a prototype GAZ-11-51 machine with a new six-cylinder GAZ-11 engine was designed and built. Its carrying capacity is 2 tons, and therefore the entire chassis, including the frame and wheel suspension, had to be redesigned. The outbreak of war suspended work on the car. They resumed in 1943.

Design work went on intensively, and by 1945 samples of both models were already being tested. They had slightly modified cabs from the Studebaker army truck. The so-called "zero series" GAZ-51 was ready by the end of 1945, and in 1946 serial production began.

From the very beginning, factory designers were given the task of designing a universal machine with a carrying capacity of 2.5 tons for work on highways and country roads. Hence - a solid margin of safety, originally incorporated into the design of components and parts. Today, evaluating it from the distance of the past half century, we have the right to say that these safety margins were calculated with high professional skill. The car turned out to be very durable, reliable, but not overweight. Moreover, the moderate curb weight of the GAZ-51 produced in 1946 (2710 kg) without compromising strength was reduced by 1976 to 2500 kilograms.

GAZ-51 had a very rigid spar frame for bending and torsion. Sufficiently soft four semi-elliptical springs were paired with double-acting lever hydraulic shock absorbers. Precise steering in combination with these design features provided the car with good ride and handling characteristics.

For domestic country roads, wheels with tires with a diameter of 0.93 meters, high ground clearance (0.24 meters under the rear axle housing) and small approach angles (front - 40, rear - 32) were of no small importance. As a result, the GAZ-51 had a fairly high cross-country ability (and only with the rear drive wheels). The machine worked perfectly in the countryside, even in muddy conditions. The GAZ-51 starts in cross-country competitions are also noteworthy, the route of which sometimes seemed almost insurmountable for 4x2 trucks.

The six-cylinder GAZ 51 engine, developed from the GAZ-11 model, turned out to be a match for the chassis. For the domestic automotive industry, it became a milestone in development. First of all - innovations in the design, which put it on a par with foreign engines of those years. First of all, we note thin-walled, quick-change liners of main and connecting rod bearings, a floating-type oil receiver, short “dry-type” cylinder liners, an ignition timing device, and a full-support crankshaft.

The GAZ-51 engine was a lower valve, somewhat "strangled" along the intake and exhaust channels. As a result, it easily adapted to changes in the external load. It developed maximum power (70 hp) at 2800 rpm, and peak torque (20.5 kGm) occurred at 1600 rpm.

In the future, individual components of the machine were constantly upgraded. Initially, the GAZ-51 cabin was a wood-metal structure. Part of its parts - the frame, the windshield frame, the instrument panel, the door frames - were metal, while the rear wall and the outer door panels were wooden, and the roof was covered with a tarpaulin. The footboards were also wooden, and their aprons were missing. The battery was visible between the footboard and the cab on the left side. When the shortage of thin-rolled steel eased in 1949, the main cabin panels became metal - stamped. The cabin acquired rounded shapes, the glass of the door windows no longer had rectangular contours, but rounded ones. But until 1955, plywood exterior door skins were retained and there were still no footpeg aprons. True, the steps have become metal, corrugated.

Those cabins of the first four years of production were almost not preserved - their wooden parts had time to rot. Many motorists have forgotten about these angular "booths" over the years. As, however, they forgot about the instrument cluster, which had a rectangular shape. She was subsequently replaced by a shield with five round dials - it was called KP5-E2, and the former one was simply KP5. The cab heater has become standard equipment only since 1956, when a small modernization took place, culminating in a change in the index of the base model from GAZ-51 to GAZ-51 A.

With the development of the production of an all-metal cab, the gas tank, reduced from 105 to 90 liters, moved under the driver's seat, and its neck was removed from the cab in its left rear.

The modernized model GAZ-51A was released in 1956. Its main innovation is an enlarged cargo platform. All three of its sides were made folding, and reinforced bars were placed along the upper edge of the side sides. Other external distinguishing features include reflectors on the front wall of the loading platform, aprons at the rear wheels and aprons between the footboard and the cab sill. The former "two-hole" wheels gave way to new, lighter ones with six holes, and since 1962, GAZ-51A trucks began to be equipped with radial-type tires "RS" with removable tread rings.

GAZ-51 engines have also undergone ongoing modernization. The main innovations were: the use of symmetrical connecting rods, the transition from K 49 carburetors to the K 22G model and the replacement of the G 21 generator with G108G. The main technical data of the machines of the GAZ-51 family are given in table 1. GAZ-51 and GAZ-51A were produced in various modifications, including as a chassis.

Of the modifications of the GAZ-51, it should be noted the cars that ran on gas fuel: GAZ-51B on compressed gas (release from 1949) and GAZ-51Zh on liquefied gas (release from 1954). Truck tractors GAZ-51P, which have been manufactured since 1956, for the first time in the practice of the plant were equipped with a hydraulic vacuum booster in the brake drive. By order of the Ministry of Defense, the plant supplied GAZ-51N, GAZ-51S and GAZ-51SE vehicles. The cargo platform with high slatted sides of such cars had an awning and folding longitudinal benches, which made it possible to transport 12 people.

The GAZ-51 truck, as well as the GAZ-63 off-road vehicle developed on its basis, is the result of the collective work of the plant's specialists who have absorbed the engineering philosophy, which was persistently implemented by the chief designer of GAZ A. A. Lipgart. Andrei Alexandrovich was a purely pragmatist.

For GAZ, trucks were the main production object. His cars were widely used in the countryside, the army. It is not surprising that prototypes of an all-wheel drive 2.5-ton truck appeared even earlier than the experimental GAZ-51 - in December 1943.

Initially, Vitaly Andreevich Grachev was engaged in the GAZ-bZ machine, later Muzyukin became the lead designer. Their general concept is to unify the GAZ-51 and GAZ-bZ by 80% in terms of the most important components and parts. They identified the most important basic solutions for the machine: common treading single wheels with the same track, doubling the traction range of a two-stage transfer case, the most cost-effective Bendix-Weiss synchronous joints, front and rear driveshafts of equal length.

GAZ-bZ, compared with the GAZ-51, rose above the ground (along the height of the upper edge of the frame) by 90 mm, and the ground clearance increased to 270 mm. The angles of entry and exit, thanks to the frame raised above the ground, amounted to 48 and 32, respectively, which contributed to the increase in the cross-country ability of the car.

Even greater opportunities for overcoming off-road were opened by the GAZ-63A modification, equipped with a winch installed in the front buffer of the vehicle with a pulling force of 3500 kg and a 65-meter cable. The winch was driven by a cardan shaft. The installation of the winch required strengthening the front suspension - other front spring clamps appeared. GAZ-bZ and GAZ-bZA were equipped with an engine preheater, a cabin heater, an additional 105-liter gas tank on the left under the platform.

Since the wheels were single-sided and designed to fit wider tires than the GAZ-51, they had a completely different design. Changes in the design of the GAZ-51 units, quite naturally, also affected the GAZ-bZ units. Like the GAZ-51, the truck chassis was used for tanks, oil tankers, buses, and various specialized vehicles.

At GAZ in 1947, under the leadership of the head of the Special Design Bureau (OKB) V.K. Dedkov, the design of the wheeled armored personnel carrier GAZ-40 (aka BTR-40) began. In its design, components and assemblies GAZ-bZA were used.

In the GAZ-40, the supporting element was not the frame, but the body of the armored body. The car was equipped with a version of the GAZ-51 engine. It was called GAZ-40 and had a capacity of 78 liters. With. The production of the GAZ-40 went from 1950 to 1956, and then it was replaced by the GAZ-40B (BTR-40B) with an armored roof.

GAZ-51 and GAZ-bZ cars were exported to a large number of countries in Europe, Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. Their performance has earned these machines a high reputation.

Abroad, however, there is an opinion that both models are copies of some American trucks, although there has never been a reference to specific designs. It should be emphasized in this regard that there is not a single unit of the same type with US machines on domestic machines. However, one should not hide the fact that the GAZ-51 and GAZ-bZ are made in the spirit of the American design school, which was professed by A. A. Lipgart. Therefore, we can say that they are similar to any American model of the 40s, but not one specifically taken.

Based on materials from books from the series "Museum of Technology"

K rieger is a man from the team of A. A. Lipgart, the then chief designer of GAZ and a representative of the same galaxy of outstanding Soviet auto designers as Andrei Aleksandrovich himself. In addition to the post-war GAZ-51 and its all-wheel drive modification GAZ-63, Krieger's track record includes the T-60 and T-70 tanks from the Second World War, as well as the famous ZIL-130 and the prototype of the first KAMAZ belonging to the late 1960s - early 1970s , cabover ZIL-170 ... After working on the GAZ-51, Krieger from 1948 to 1954 headed the design staff of KAZ, and subsequently most of his life, until 1982, he worked as the chief designer of the ZIL.

The leading designer on the GAZ-51 was Alexander Dmitrievich Prosvirin. Together with Lipgart, Krieger, and other team members - V. I. Borisov, L. V. Kostkin and S. I. Rusakov - Prosvirin was awarded the Stalin Prize of II degree for the development of the GAZ-51. But at the beginning of 1937, when work on a new truck started at the Gorky Automobile Plant, it was still ten years before that moment.

Before the war

The task for the project was formulated as follows: a simple and reliable truck that would have the widest possible range of applications and would incorporate as many reliable solutions as possible from world truck design experience.

By November 1937, perhaps the main such “solution” arrived in time - a Dodge D5 six-cylinder gasoline engine with a volume of 3.56 liters. Based on the drawings of this engine, the GAZ-11 engine with a capacity of 76 liters was developed in Gorky. With. (in later versions - 85-100 hp), which will subsequently be installed on a number of gas trucks, will receive ship and even aviation modifications, and will also serve as the basis for creating a four-cylinder engine for Pobeda. The most common version of the appearance of drawings of an American engine at GAZ says that they were illegally purchased from Chrysler employees through the NKVD for $ 25,000.

However, the “drain” from the American spies turned out to be incomplete: for the specified amount, the Soviet side got only about 85% of all the documentation, which forced the designers to design some of the details without looking at the analogue - in particular, a floating oil receiver was developed from scratch, which was not in the original, and gear drive of the camshaft instead of the chain. In addition, the engine was resized from an inch to a metric system, as a result of which the displacement was slightly reduced to 3.48 liters. All this (and maybe something else) allowed the creators (“recreators”?) of the Soviet version of the motor to call it an original design that is not a copy of the American motor.

Some automotive historians claim that at the turn of 1938-1939, the Gorky residents did not yet have plans to install the GAZ-11 engine on trucks, and at that time it was seen as exclusively “passenger”, and the development of the newest truck at that moment was very "inactive" phase, however, you can find indications that back in the winter of 1937, a new, more powerful engine (even the original Dodge D5 appears in some reports) was installed on, having attached an enlarged radiator and having carried out a series of "cosmetic procedures" over the cabin. If you believe this, then in modern terms, what is it if not testing the first "mule" of a new model?

In the photo: GAZ 51 Experienced "1939

A number of sources also contain information that in the second half of the 1930s, simultaneously with the modernization of the GAZ-AA lorry and its gradual transformation into the GAZ-MM, a fundamentally new truck was being developed, which was then led by designer Vladimir Mikhailovich Kudryavtsev. A promising model already then bore the index "51".

February 1937 is considered the official start of the project (read - the beginning of design).

In June 1938, the first units began to be manufactured, a month later the construction of the first prototype began, and by December the Gazites had a fully finished machine. In May 1939, the first sample went to trials and completed them in July 1940. By this time, the plant had another prototype assembled at the end of 1939.

After the end of the tests, in the summer of 1940, a prototype that received a new cabin was shown at the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition. In 1941, preparations for mass production began, but then the war broke out ... The plant had already mastered some components and assemblies of the still unborn GAZ-51, and they were used on other vehicles of the war years - among those were the engine, clutch with centrifugal weights, gearbox and cardan joints with needle bearings.

In the photo: GAZ 51 Experienced "1939

After the war

They returned to work on a promising truck in 1943. The GAZ-11 engine by that time had passed a real baptism of fire on military equipment and was significantly improved. And the car itself was reconfigured by Prosvirin, who joined the work, almost completely.

Their "bundle" with Krieger sought to create a very simple to manufacture, but at the same time a reliable, load-lifting and economical machine - to match the war and post-war times. At the same time, certain steps were taken that fatally separated the new car from the predecessor of the "one and a half".

The dimensions of the tires have increased, the specific pressure on the ground has decreased, and the strength of the frame has increased. A much more comfortable cabin and a modern hood lining appeared, reminiscent of the then GMC and. The hood itself has become more compact, the cabin has moved forward, the length of the loading platform has grown by half a meter, and the load capacity has risen by a ton - up to 2.5 tons. The capacity of the fuel tank has increased to 105 liters. The base truck GAZ-51 had a high (up to 80%) unification with an all-wheel drive version and even with a passenger Pobeda (in terms of the engine). In addition, a hydraulic brake drive was incorporated into the design of the new truck, which by that time had proven itself well in world practice.

About borrowing

And yes, it is widely known that the relations between the Gorky Plant and the American automobile industry began back in the 1930s - that same GAZ-AA “lorry” was originally a licensed copy of the Ford-AA, which also provided for the further completely legal migration of technologies from Ford to GAZ.

The history of these “cultural ties” is painted by various researchers in both positive and negative tones: some say that GAZ really drew the best from world ideas, and that was what was good in those years, while others blame GAZ designers (the same Krieger, for example) in an overly conservative approach and a constant eye for foreign technical solutions.

But in fact, why shouldn't the Gazites look back at their overseas colleagues? Indeed, in addition to the “historical” relationship with Ford and the “spy” Dodge engine, Soviet designers had at their disposal the Dodge WC-51 obtained under Lend-Lease (which we had the nickname “Dodge three-quarters”), and trucks were assembled at the plant during the war years Ford G8T and Chevrolet G7107. Of course, the new truck absorbed the maximum of what could be absorbed - and it may very well be that it turned out to be so successful for this very reason.

Debut

The first significantly revised experimental GAZ-51 was assembled in May 1944, and the second, with a different hood design, in September of the same year. And already after the victory in the Great Patriotic War, in June 1945, two more samples appeared - once again modified, already pre-production. On June 19, 1945, the Gorky residents showed one of these cars to members of the government in the Kremlin and received full approval to start production of the GAZ-51.

In the photo: GAZ 51 Experienced (Sample No. 3) "1944

And a year later, on June 30, 1946, the first serial GAZ-51 trucks rolled off the assembly line of the Gorky Automobile Plant. As we know, just nine days before, on June 21, another new product was launched in Gorky - subsequently the no less legendary Pobeda car, the GAZ-20-M. But if the life path of Victory at the initial stage turned out to be thorny (after some time, the assembly even had to be suspended due to numerous design imperfections), then the path of the “lawn” came out as straight as an arrow.

After the war, the country needed just such a transport - unpretentious, hardy, capable of transporting anything. No matter how good the “lorry” GAZ-AA and the “three-ton” ZIS-5 were, they were heroes of their era - great, filled with truly heroic deeds, but already a thing of the past.

In the photo: GAZ 51 Experienced (Sample No. 4) "1944

“Lawn”, due to its carrying capacity, could just partly be considered a replacement for both of these machines, although it should be noted that the Zisovsky “three-ton” has its own pedigree, a branch of evolution and, in general, fate.

But the GAZ-51, which was almost always used for slaughter, often with double overload, really became a full-fledged replacement.

A number of innovative technical points, reflected in the gas truck, subsequently migrated to other Soviet cars: wear-resistant cast-iron cylinder liners, chrome-plated piston rings, radiator shutters, preheating from a blowtorch, oil cooler, thin-walled bimetallic crankshaft liners were widely used. It was on the GAZ-51 that for the first time for cars of the USSR appeared an aluminum block head, and plug-in valve seats, and adjustable mixture heating, and double oil filtration, and closed crankcase ventilation and easily removable brake drums ... And this is not a complete list.

Modernizations

In 1948, an all-wheel drive version of the model with the GAZ-63 index went down the assembly line, and then a period of many years of modernization began at the “lawn”, which was led by designer B. I. Shikhov.

In the photo: GAZ 63 "1948–68

At first, the former completely wooden cabin in 1950 turned into a combined one, then into an all-metal one, and in 1954 it received heating. The following year, 1955, a modernized version of the GAZ-51A was mastered, which had an enlarged cargo platform, folding sides and a more reliable parking brake.

In addition, the empty weight of the car fell literally every year, by 1962 reaching a figure of 2,296 kg. Over time, the engine power system was improved, and the GAZ-11 engine itself turned out to be a real long-liver, it was used on trucks, cars (GAZ-12), buses, special vehicles, and in various versions existed in production right up to 1989.

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More than 30 modifications of the "lawn" are known, including all-wheel drive versions, trucks with LPG equipment, buses and export versions of the machine. Among these numerous modifications was even the GAZ-51P truck tractor, on which, by the way, a vacuum brake booster was used for the first time in the USSR. One of the modifications was made in Odessa - at the local OdAZ (there was such a one!) They mastered the GAZ-93 construction dump truck on a shortened GAZ-51 chassis. And also "lawns" were produced at the Irkutsk car assembly plant.

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With all this in mind, from 1946 to 1975 almost 3,500,000 GAZ-51 and GAZ-51A of various modifications were assembled. In addition, according to the transferred documentation, the Soviet truck was assembled in "fraternal" Poland, North Korea and China. No matter how trite it may sound, but the Soviet designers got a car that became a real symbol of that time.

In the photo: K-2.5-1E on the chassis GAZ 51A "1950–63

The last GAZ-51A was assembled on a conveyor in Gorky on April 2, 1975 and sent to the factory museum. But until now, sometimes, very rarely, the "lawn" can still be seen on the street, and one of my lucky colleagues even managed to make ...

Tired of the hassle at work, the frantic pace of life, traffic jams? I recommend learning a great way to relax - watching Soviet post-war films. Take a look at this naive black-and-white picture filled with dreams of a brighter future: smiling people with high-rise buildings being built behind their backs, and rare but beautiful cars drive along the smooth streets - he grunted solidly and disappeared into the GAZ-51 lane, but along Pobeda sedately sailed along the avenue ... Of those two gas cars - the fifty-first "lawn" and the Pobeda passenger car - for the most part the entire Soviet post-war auto world consisted. Why, life itself in the Soviet Union of those years was able to be brought into a normal peaceful course largely thanks to these two machines.

Heirs

In 1961, the nominal successor to the "fifty-first", the GAZ-53, which had a load capacity of three tons, went into production, and in 1966, the GAZ-52, outwardly repeating the "big brother", but with exactly the same as the "fifty the first", with a carrying capacity of 2.5 tons. Despite this, three cars of two different generations (GAZ-51 belong to the second generation of gas trucks, GAZ-52 and -53 to the third) were produced in parallel for many years.


In the photo: GAZ 53	In the photo: GAZ 52

In 1990 and in 1994, they were replaced by the first representatives of the fourth generation - the gasoline GAZ-3307 and the turbodiesel GAZ-3309. Finally, in 2014, the NEXT GAZon appeared, which is currently produced together with the previous generation, but will completely replace it in the future. These are already completely different cars with a carrying capacity of 4.7-5 tons, modern engines, a fundamentally different level of comfort, safety and environmental friendliness ... but, whatever one may say, the traditions of the GAZ-51, the “lawn” of the old school, are alive in them.


In the photo: GAZ 3307	In the photo: GAZ 3309

It's great that the glorious history of gas trucks continues. And what a pity that the same cannot be said about those cars that could be the successors of the traditions of the Victory - that is, about large domestic passenger cars.