For people of 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 found wreck. It’s not uncommon to find passionate craftsmen obsessed with the desire to make a scale model of the famous truck, and a scrupulously accurate one at that. Yes, not just a model, but a family various machines at its base - dump trucks and tanks, buses and vans, fire trucks 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 production 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 components. This car began mass production on September 31, 1948, and its production continued until the summer of 1968. As you can see, these cars can rightfully be called long-lived on the assembly line. And, not only that, a colossal number of them (in terms of the scale of truck production) were produced. The GAZ-51 and GAZ-51A cars, for example, were “multiplied” by the plant in the amount of 3,481,033 copies. This is one of the most popular trucks in the world. GAZ-63 and 63A produced 474,464 units.
Few domestic cars Until now, they were produced under our licenses or, more precisely, according to Soviet technical documentation abroad. And here GAZ-51 is the record holder. Since November 1951, the FSC plant in Lublin, Poland, began producing it under the Lublin-51 brand. Since 1958, the automobile plant in the North Korean city of Deukchon has organized the production of Seungri-58 (Victory-58), exact copy Soviet car. And since the same year, a redesigned copy of the GAZ-51 called “Yuejin-134” has been produced by the Jingang plant in China and another plant in the Chinese city of Wuhan. In short, the GAZ-51 has every reason to be called famous.
Based on the results of State tests of 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 specific features 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 of the GAZ-11-51 with a new six-cylinder engine GAZ-11. Its load capacity is 2 tons, and therefore the entire chassis, including the frame and wheel suspension, had to be redesigned. The outbreak of the war suspended work on the car. They resumed in 1943.
Design work proceeded intensively, and by 1945 samples of both models were already being tested. They had slightly modified cabs from a Studebaker army truck. The so-called “zero series” of the GAZ-51 was ready by the end of 1945, and serial production began in 1946.
From the very beginning, factory designers were tasked with designing a car universal application with a carrying capacity of 2.5 tons for work on highways and country roads. Hence the substantial safety margins initially built into the design of components and parts. Today, assessing 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) was reduced by 1976 to 2500 kilograms without compromising strength.
The GAZ-51 had a spar frame that was very rigid in bending and torsion. Fairly soft four semi-elliptic springs worked in tandem with double-acting lever hydraulic shock absorbers. Precise steering gear, combined with the above design features, provided the car with good ride comfort and handling characteristics.
For domestic country roads, wheels with tires with a diameter of 0.93 meters, a large ground clearance(0.24 meters under the rear axle housing) and small approach angles (front - 40, rear - 32). As a result, the GAZ-51 had a fairly high cross-country ability (and only with rear drive wheels). The machine worked great rural areas even in muddy conditions. Also noteworthy are the GAZ-51's starts in cross-country competitions, the route of which at times seemed almost insurmountable for 4x2 trucks.
The six-cylinder GAZ 51 engine, developed from the GAZ-11 model, turned out to match the chassis. For the domestic automotive industry, it became a milestone in development. First of all, innovations in design that put it on a par with foreign engines of those years. First of all, we note thin-walled, quick-replaceable main and connecting rod bearing shells, a floating-type oil receiver, short “dry-type” cylinder liners, automatic ignition timing, and a full-support crankshaft.
The GAZ-51 engine was a lower-valve engine, somewhat “strangled” along the intake and exhaust channels. As a result, it easily adapted to changes in external load. Maximum power(70 hp) it developed at 2800 rpm, and peak torque (20.5 kgm) occurred at 1600 rpm.
Subsequently, individual components of the machine were constantly subjected to modernization. Initially, the GAZ-51 cabin was a wood-metal structure. Some of its parts - the frame, windshield frame, instrument panel, door frames - were metal, but the rear wall and outer door panels were wooden, and the roof was covered with tarpaulin. The footrests were also wooden, and their aprons were missing. A battery was visible between the running board and the cabin on the left side. When the shortage of thin-gauge steel eased in 1949, the main cabin panels became stamped metal. The cabin acquired rounded shapes, the glass of the door windows no longer had rectangular contours, but rounded ones. But until 1955, the plywood outer door skins remained and there were still no running boards. True, the footrests became metal and 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. How, however, they forgot about the instrument cluster, which had a rectangular shape. It was subsequently replaced by a shield with five round dials - it was called KP5-E2, and the previous one was simply KP5. The cabin heater became a serial equipment only in 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 cabin, the gas tank, reduced from 105 to 90 liters, was moved under the driver's seat, and its neck was removed from the cabin in its left rear part.
The modernized GAZ-51A model 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 boards. Other external distinctive features include reflectors on the front wall cargo platform, aprons at the rear wheels and aprons between the step and the threshold of the cabin. The old “two-hole” wheels gave way to new, lighter ones with six holes, and since 1962, GAZ-51A trucks began to be equipped with “RS” radial tires with removable tread rings.
GAZ-51 engines also underwent 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 the G108G. The main technical data of the GAZ-51 family vehicles are shown in Table 1. The GAZ-51 and GAZ-51A were produced in various modifications, including as a chassis.
Among the modifications of the GAZ-51, it is worth noting the cars that ran on gas fuel: the GAZ-51B on compressed gas (manufactured since 1949) and the GAZ-51Zh on liquefied gas (manufactured since 1954). For the first time in the plant's practice, GAZ-51P truck tractors, which were manufactured since 1956, were equipped with a hydraulic vacuum booster in the brake drive. According to orders from the Ministry of Defense, the plant supplied GAZ-51N, GAZ-51S and GAZ-51SE vehicles. The cargo platform with high lattice sides of such vehicles had an awning and folding longitudinal benches, which made it possible to transport 12 people.
The GAZ-51 truck, as well as the car developed on its basis off-road GAZ-63 is the result of the collective work of the plant’s specialists, who absorbed the engineering philosophy that was persistently implemented by the chief designer of GAZ, A. A. Lipgart. Andrei Alexandrovich was a strict pragmatist.
For GAZ, trucks were the main production object. His cars were widely used in rural areas and by the army. It is not surprising that prototypes of the all-wheel drive 2.5- ton truck appeared even earlier than the experimental GAZ-51 - in December 1943.
Initially, Vitaly Andreevich Grachev was involved in the GAZ-bZ car; later Muzyukin became the leading designer. Their general concept- unify GAZ-51 and GAZ-bZ by 80% the most important nodes and details. They determined for themselves the most important basic solutions for the car: single wheels with the same track that lay a common track, a two-stage transfer case that doubles the range of traction forces, the cheapest Bendix-Weiss synchronous joints to produce, front and rear driveshafts of equal length.
GAZ-bZ, compared to 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 approach and departure angles, thanks to the frame raised above the ground, were 48 and 32, respectively, which contributed to increasing the vehicle’s cross-country ability.
Even greater opportunities for overcoming off-road conditions were offered by the GAZ-63A modification, equipped with a winch installed in the front buffer of the vehicle with a traction force of 3500 kg and a 65-meter cable. The winch was driven by a cardan shaft. Installing a winch required strengthening the front suspension - new clamps for the front springs appeared. GAZ-bZ and GAZ-bZA were equipped with an engine pre-heater, a cabin heater, and an additional 105-liter gas tank on the left under the platform.
Since the wheels were single-pitch and designed to accommodate wider tires than those on the GAZ-51, they had a completely different design. Changes in the design of GAZ-51 units affected, quite naturally, 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 GAZ-40 wheeled armored personnel carrier (aka BTR-40) began. Its design used components and assemblies of GAZ-bZA.
For the GAZ-40, the load-bearing element was not the frame, but the body of the armored body. The car was equipped with a variation of the GAZ-51 engine. It was called GAZ-40 and had a power of 78 hp. With. Production of the GAZ-40 lasted 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 qualities have earned these machines a high reputation.
Abroad, however, there is an opinion that both models are copies of certain American trucks, although there were never any references to specific designs. It must be emphasized in this regard that there is not a single unit of the same type as US vehicles on domestic vehicles. However, there is no need to hide the fact that the GAZ-51 and GAZ-bZ are made in the spirit of the American school of design, which was professed by A. A. Lipgart. Therefore, we can say that they are similar to any American model 40s, but not one in particular.
Based on materials from books from the "Museum of Technology" series
GAZ-93. The GAZ-93 dump truck, designed at the Ural Automobile Plant, was originally going to be produced at the Novosibirsk Automobile Plant (NAZ), but after its repurposing, the production of the dump truck in 1948 was established at the Odessa Automobile Assembly Plant (OdAZ).The dump truck was manufactured on the chassis of a GAZ-51 car with a shortened (by 320 mm) frame. The metal box-shaped body (volume 1.65 m³) had a folding tailgate. To transport light weight cargo, the side walls of the body had holes and brackets for attaching the racks of the enlarged sides. The lifting mechanism is hydraulic, controlled from the cabin, combined with an oil pump, with a horizontal cylinder, the forces from which are transmitted to the platform through two intermediate rods. The horizontal arrangement of the hydraulic cylinder made it possible to bring the pump closer to the gearbox and use only one drive roller. The maximum pressure in the hydraulic system is the same as that of a dump truck ZiS-585, and amounted to 15 kgf/cm².
A modification was created for the transportation of agricultural goods GAZ-93D with a wood-metal platform (volume 3.16 m³), closed with a special lid. Experienced GAZ-93S had a trough-shaped body and was intended for transporting bulk cargo.
WITH 1955 GAZ-93 and GAZ-93D were replaced by modernized dump trucks GAZ-93A And GAZ-93B respectively. IN 1958 their production was transferred to the Saransk Dump Truck Plant (SAZ), and OdAZ began to specialize in the production of car trailers.
IN 1961 the department of the chief designer of SAZ began developing a dump truck GAZ-93V with dumping equipment fundamentally different from the production models GAZ-93A and GAZ-93B. Advanced design and layout solutions incorporated in the new model even then formed the modern appearance of a construction dump truck with rear unloading: a rear-unloading platform with beveled lower parts of the side walls, a central location of a telescopic hydraulic cylinder, a power take-off box with an NSh type gear pump and a control valve (hydraulic distributor ), stamped oil tank. The main feature of the GAZ-93V was the use of an under-body telescopic hydraulic cylinder with two retractable plungers of a collarless design. It was on this dump truck that SAZ designers first used this solution. The hydraulic cylinder had an upper ball head, installed in a support on the platform. Fixation was carried out using a finger passing through the holes in the support and in the ball head of the cylinder. In the middle part of the hydraulic cylinder body, a ring with support pins was welded, with the help of which it was installed in a rotary support (cradle). In turn, the cradle was mounted on the subframe using rotary axes. Subsequently, this solution, which proved to be the best in operation, was used on the GAZ-SAZ-53B dump truck. The NSh-32L gear pump, driven by a 1-stage power take-off, was responsible for pumping oil into the body lift hydraulic system. A control valve was installed at the outlet of the pump, which was a unit that combined three valves: a check valve, a safety valve, and a platform lowering valve. It is noteworthy that the slightly modified control valve is still used on SAZ brand dump trucks. The lifting and lowering of the platform was controlled by one lever: moving it back and forth turned the PTO on and off, and pressing to the side lowered the platform. In terms of characteristics, the new dump truck was significantly superior to its predecessor, the GAZ-93B, but due to the start of design work on the GAZ-SAZ-53B model and the lack of free capacity (which was barely enough to fulfill the production plan anyway), the development of the GAZ-93B was never achieved. got it. Nevertheless, the development of the GAZ-93V was a general test of the strength of the young plant’s team before the creation of subsequent production vehicles SAZ-2500 and GAZ-SAZ-53B.
For SAZ, the Gorky Automobile Plant supplied a special chassis with a shortened frame GAZ-51D, GAZ-51DU(for the export version of the dump truck - GAZ-93AE) And GAZ-51DU(for the export version in a tropical version - GAZ-93AYU). The production of all modifications of dump trucks based on the GAZ-51 continued until 1966.
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| GAZ-51B | ||
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| GAZ-51Zh | ||
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| GAZ-51P | ||
Freight car GAZ-51S differs from the base model GAZ-51A by installing an additional fuel tank with a capacity of 105 liters. The additional fuel tank is mounted on the frame on the left side under the front of the platform. Thus, the total capacity of the two fuel tanks is 195 liters, which on average increased the fuel range from 340 to 735 km. The option with shielded electrical equipment was designated GAZ-51SE.
In addition to the listed truck options, the following were produced: cargo-passenger taxi GAZ-51R and its export version GAZ-51RU; cargo taxi GAZ-51T; tanker chassis GAZ-51M; export modifications GAZ-51U (GAZ-51AU) And GAZ-51Yu(for areas with a tropical climate); a car with an additional 105-liter fuel tank and a lattice body with folding benches along the sides from GAZ-63 - GAZ-51N and its export version GAZ-51NU.
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| GAZ-41 | ||
In the 50-60s, experimental work on prechamber-torch ignition was carried out at GAZ. Then, based on the GAZ-51 engine, one of the variants of such a power plant was created - GAZ-51F. It had a head with three valves per cylinder, driven by rods, and a dual carburetor. The new method for improving the economic and other indicators of a gasoline engine was based on the idea of a sharp increase in the power of the ignition source, which practically became a flame torch. The main goals pursued in this case were more complete combustion of residual gases in the combustion chamber and the need for more full use heat of combusted gases. Directly near the combustion chamber of the GAZ-51F engine, a small preliminary auxiliary combustion chamber was provided - a pre-chamber, which communicated with the main one through short channels of small cross-section with sharp outlines. A small amount of a very rich mixture was fed into the prechamber, ignited by a spark from a candle. During the combustion of the mixture, the pressure in the prechamber increased sharply. And since its sections exhaust channels were small, it was several times higher than in the main combustion chamber. Chemically active products of incomplete combustion of the auxiliary mixture were thrown into the middle of the combustion chamber, swirled the working mixture there and formed a special turbulent structure in it, causing an avalanche activation of combustion. The compression ratio of the GAZ-51F engine when running on A-66 gasoline was raised from 6.2 to 6.8, while the power increased from 70 to 85 hp. at 3000 rpm, providing a significant increase in the dynamic qualities of the truck while reducing fuel consumption. A pilot batch of such engines with a power of 78 hp. mounted on buses and grain vans, which 1961 underwent operational tests in Moscow and Sochi. They were 15% more economical than cars with traditional engines, but had a number of disadvantages that were difficult to eliminate in those years. Despite this, for some time an export version of the truck was produced with a GAZ-51F engine, oversized tires 8.25-20", an extended wheelbase and a cargo platform with low sides and a load capacity increased to 3000 kg - GAZ-51V. Such machines were successfully operated in Finland, Norway, East Germany and Hungary.
IN 1952 At the 101st automobile repair plant (“Central” (TsARZ) it became in 1954, now the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “101 TsARZ”), they mastered the production of specialized vehicles on the GAZ-51 and GAZ-63 chassis. The first of them was the progenitor of the first domestic shift vehicles with a van-type body - the bus AP-3. More famous bus AP-4, which received the common nickname “Sharapovets” because of the fire in 1954 that destroyed the bus workshop, appeared in the series only in 1956. Interestingly, the Sharapovets actually became the most popular passenger bus used by the military in the 1960s. Including because its production was transferred to several more military enterprises, including TsARZ No. 778 (Bendery, Moldavian SSR), where AP-4 buses were produced until 1975. Propaganda machines were also manufactured on their basis. AG-5.
For ambulance AS-3 The chassis frame behind the rear axle was lengthened, the springs in its suspension were removed and four hydraulic shock absorbers were introduced (two on each side). The metal body-van was equipped with a stretcher in 3 tiers (the upper stretcher was attached to folding supports on the ceiling) and was designed for 7 recumbents and 2 seats or 14 seats (+ driver and orderly seats in the cabin). The body was equipped with supply and exhaust ventilation, heating due to the engine cooling system and an intercom between the body and the cabin, as well as storage compartments.
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| Bus GZA-651 | ||
The first buses PAZ-651 came out of the gates of the Pavlovsk bus plant named after. A.A. Zhdanova (PAZ, currently OJSC Pavlovsky Bus) August 5, 1952. Especially for buses, the Gorky Automobile Plant has launched the production of chassis: GAZ-51I, GAZ-51IU(for buses in export version) and GAZ-51IYU(for buses in export version for areas with a tropical climate). The GAZ-51I chassis differed from the standard one in the presence of additional shock absorbers for the rear suspension, as well as elongated frame side members.
In 1955, the first experimental bus was produced at PAZ PAZ-651A, the main difference of which was the presence of a metal body frame instead of a wooden one. Later, the production of a cargo-passenger modification was mastered PAZ-651G, road trains for transporting bread and bakery products as part of a van PAZ-657 and single axle box trailer PAZ-658, van for transporting clothes PAZ-661. During 1956-1957, a small number of PAZ-651A buses were produced, and later the documentation for them was transferred to the Kurgan Bus Plant (KAvZ). First bus KAvZ-651A was made January 14, 1958. Cargo-passenger aircraft were produced on the basis of the KAvZ-651A. KAvZ-655, mobile clinical diagnostic laboratory (PCDL) and other modifications.
In 1953, by order of the Ministry of Defense, PAZ designed and in 1954 manufactured a prototype of an ambulance bus based on the PAZ-651, which subsequently received the index PAZ-651V (AS-5). This bus had: a potbelly stove, non-removable parts for fastening sanitary equipment (6 rods with brackets and straps for hanging stretchers). At the rear there was a folding ladder for loading, which was lowered when loading the wounded directly to the ground. The cabin could have three tiers of seats for transporting lying wounded, located along the sides. This placement made it possible to transport up to 9 people on stretchers at the same time, if necessary, filling the central part of the body with more stretchers, and it was also possible to transport an additional 4 lightly wounded on folding seats, or 5 on stretchers and 12 seated wounded. In other variations, the PAZ-651V bus could simultaneously transport 7 stretchers and 5 seated, 4 stretchers and 10 seated, or only 18 seated wounded, for which there were 9 semi-soft benches. The bus was painted in khaki-type protective colors, with large circles painted on the sides and rear white with a red cross placed in them. Also, a red cross was placed in the central window of the route indicator. The PAZ-651V bus was successfully tested at TsNIIIIVM, but its mass production was never launched. However, soon a new family of buses appeared on the assembly line of the Pavlovsk Bus Plant PAZ-652 carriage layout, which also provided for a sanitary version - PAZ-652V.
GZA-651, PAZ-651, PAZ-651A and the first series of KAvZ-651A were noticeably different from the later Kurgan-assembled buses and directly from the GAZ-51 with a rounded, streamlined radiator grille and a “nosed” hood. A characteristic feature of Pavlov’s cars was the presence of rectangular direction indicators located on the sides of the front wall of the body under the windshield. The GZA-651 and PAZ-651 buses had a wooden body frame, and the PAZ-651A, PAZ-651V, KAvZ-651A and KAvZ-651B had a metal body frame, with a welded load-bearing frame consisting of shaped steel extruded sections. The body was attached to the frame side members using stepladders and was covered with steel sheets. A single passenger door led into the cabin, manually opened by the driver using a lever mechanism. The driver's cabin was not separated from the passenger compartment, but the driver had his own door. The third door was located in the rear wall of the bus and allowed it to be used as a cargo-passenger bus. Two-seater seats of a primitive design were fixed to the wooden flooring. The windows had drop-down vents.
At the end of the 50s, the design of the bus was somewhat simplified - it received a hood and radiator lining of a standard design from the GAZ-51A. Front and rear bumper They began to paint them in body color, and the direction indicators under the windshield were abolished. Until 1961, PAZ-651A and KAvZ-651A buses were produced simultaneously. The KAvZ-651A continued to be produced in huge quantities throughout the 60s. IN 1971 Simultaneously with the technical re-equipment of KAvZ, the current modification of the 651A model was carried out. New bus received an index KAvZ-651B, it had an all-metal body, reinforced chassis components, upgraded transmission units and suspension parts, and a heater in the cabin. KAvZ-651B was produced until 1973.
Buses with a hood similar to the GZA-651 were manufactured in the late 40s - mid 50s by the Auto Repair Plant in Tartu (APT) under the brand TA-1(a chassis with a base extended to 4000 mm was used); car repair plant in Kaunas (KARZ, Kauno Autoremonto Gamykla) under the brand KAG-1; workshops of the motor transport department in Sochi (TSARM) - open excursion buses "Ritsa" And "Crimea".
Buses carriage type offered car repair plants in Borisov (BARZ) and Riga (RAF). The first of them made buses with curved glass on the side roof slopes back in 1953. The second organized the production of buses since 1955 RAF-251 and vans based on it on a GAZ-51 chassis extended at the front and rear with reinforced springs and lever-type hydraulic shock absorbers installed at the front and rear. The Almaty Trust of Repair Enterprises assembled open buses, popularly nicknamed “sandals.” Creations of car repair plants in Tosno, Kyiv and other cities - "Chernigov", "Kuban", "Virgin Land" and so on. - also based on the GAZ-51 chassis.
Another of the cabover projects in 1962 was a general-purpose bus AB-8 with a carriage-type body on a GAZ-51A chassis. During the year, the bus developed by the 101st TsARZ successfully passed departmental tests, but was not accepted for mass production due to the high cost of the design, so only about 10 copies were manufactured. In addition to the AB-8, from 1959 to 1963, buses of the type WEF And AVM-1.
Many specialized vehicles were built on the basis of the GAZ-51: ambulances GZA-653(since 1950 PAZ-653) on a special chassis GAZ-51K with softer springs and hydraulic shock absorbers in rear suspension; truck crane K-2,2-1E; disinfection unit DUK-1; sweeping machine PU-8; sand spreader PU-4M; pneumatic sweeper PU-4, garbage truck MS4; sewage disposal ASM-2; sweeper PU-20; fuel filtration station PSG-65; isothermal vans KI-51 And P-378; carriage-type vans TA-9 and its modifications; firefighters PMG-6 And ATs-20(51)36 (PMG-36), tank for transporting milk ATs-18-51A and agricultural tanker OZ-1664 Grabovsky plant of fire-fighting equipment (later Grabovsky plant of special vehicles, OJSC "GrAZ"); fire truck pumps PMG-5, PMG-12, PMG-21, ladder truck ALG-17, pump cars AN-20(51)21, AN-25, TLF(51A), tank trucks ATSU-20 And ATs-1.9-51A.Since 1949, the Mogilev Automobile Plant named after S.M. Kirov (MoAZ) produced an airfield oil tanker MZ-51(later, based on GAZ-51A - MZ-51M) for heating and mechanized refueling of aircraft with filtered hot oil. The oil was heated using a kerosene nozzle located in the front of the tank and a coil system.
Since 1951, the Gorky Trade Mechanical Engineering Plant (GZTM) has been producing a van for transporting bread. KHA-2-51(later KHA-2-57). Later at GZTM, lengthening base chassis mastered the production of vans: GZTM-952, isothermal GZTM-953 with external cladding made of sheet steel and GZTM-953D with cladding made of sheet duralumin, furniture GZTM-954. In 1966, GZTM was renamed the Gorky Special Vehicles Plant (GZSA, now OJSC Bizon Special Vehicles Plant).
Since 1962, the Cherkessk Refrigeration Engineering Plant has produced refrigerated vehicles. 1AH. Gas station attendant ATZ-2.2-51A produced since 1966 by the Posevninsky Avtozapchast plant and the Odessa plant of automobile refueling units.
| Characteristics | GAZ-51 | GAZ-51B | GAZ-51Zh | GAZ-51P | GAZ-93 |
| Wheel formula | 4x2 | ||||
| Number of places | 2 | ||||
| Length, mm | 5715 | 5120 | 5240 | ||
| Width, mm | 2200* | 2100 | 2090 | ||
| Height, mm | 2130 | ||||
| Base, mm | 3300 | ||||
| Front/rear wheel track, mm | 1585/1650 | ||||
| Min. ground clearance, mm | 245 | ||||
| Turning radius, m | 8,1 | ||||
| Curb weight, kg | 2710 | 3100 | 2800 | 2485 | 3025 |
| Load capacity, kg | 2500 | 2000 | 2500 | - | 2250 |
| Weight of towed trailer/semi-trailer, kg | 3500 | 5850 | n/a | ||
| Engine (type) | GAZ-51 (K, I6) | ||||
| Working volume, cm³ | 3485 | ||||
| Engine power, hp at (rpm) | 70 (2800) | 56 (2800) | 62 (2800) | 70 (2800) | |
| Fuel consumption, l/100 km | 26,5 | 34,0** | 32,0 | 26,5 | 28,0 |
| Maximum speed, km/h | 70 | 65 | 70 | 60 | 70 |
| Fuel capacity, l | 90 | n/a | 195 | 90 | |
| n/a - no data * for GAZ-51A and GAZ-51Zh - 2280 mm ** m 3 methane gas |
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Krieger 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 automobile designers as Andrei Alexandrovich 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 dating back to the late 1960s and early 1970s and the prototype of the first KAMAZ , cabover ZIL-170... After working on the GAZ-51, Krieger headed the KAZ design staff from 1948 to 1954, and subsequently worked as the chief designer of ZIL for most of his life, until 1982.
The leading designer on the GAZ-51 theme was Alexander Dmitrievich Prosvirin. Together with Lipgart, Krieger, as well as other team members - V. I. Borisov, L. V. Koskin and S. I. Rusakov - Prosvirin was awarded the Stalin Prize, II degree, for the development of the GAZ-51. But at the beginning of 1937, when work on a new truck began at the Gorky Automobile Plant, there were still ten years before that moment.
Before the war
The project task 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 the global experience of truck design.
By November 1937, perhaps the main such “solution” arrived - a six-cylinder Gas engine Dodge D5 with a volume of 3.56 liters. Based on the drawings of this engine, the GAZ-11 engine with a power of 76 hp was developed in Gorky. With. (in later versions - 85-100 hp), which will subsequently be installed on whole line gas trucks, will receive marine 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 received only about 85% of all the documentation, which forced the designers to design some of the parts without regard to the analogue - in particular, a floating oil receiver was developed from scratch, which was not in the original, and gear drive camshaft instead of the chain one. In addition, the engine was resized from the inch to the 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 was not a copy of the American motor.
Some automotive historians claim that at the turn of 1938-1939, Gorky residents did not yet have plans to install the GAZ-11 engine on trucks, and at that time it was seen as exclusively a “passenger car”, and the development of the new truck itself at that moment was in very “inactive” phase, however, one can also find indications that back in the winter of 1937, a certain new, more powerful engine (even the original Dodge D5 appears in some reports) was installed on the engine, having fitted an enlarged radiator and carrying out a series of “cosmetic procedures” over the cabin. If you believe this, then in modern terms, what is this 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. The promising model even then bore the index “51”.
The official start of the project (read – the beginning of design) is considered to be February 1937.
In June 1938, the first components began to be manufactured; a month later, construction of the first prototype began, and by December the Gaza people had completely finished car. In May 1939, the first sample went for testing and was completed in July 1940. By this time, the plant had another prototype, assembled at the end of 1939.
After the tests were completed, in the summer of 1940, the prototype, which received a new cabin, was shown at the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition. In 1941, preparations for mass production began, but then war broke out... The plant had already mastered some components and assemblies of the yet unborn GAZ-51, and they were used on other wartime vehicles - among these were the engine, clutch with centrifugal loads, gearbox and universal joints with needle bearings.
In the photo: GAZ 51 Experienced "1939" After the war
They returned to work on a promising truck in 1943. By that time, the GAZ-11 engine had undergone a real baptism of fire on military equipment and was significantly improved. And the car itself was almost completely reconfigured by Prosvirin, who got involved in the work.
Their “bundle” with Krieger sought to create a very simple to manufacture, but at the same time reliable, load-lifting and economical car- to match the war and post-war times. At the same time, certain steps were taken that fatally separated the new car from its predecessor, the lorry.
The tire sizes have increased, the specific ground pressure has decreased, and the frame strength 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 increased by half a meter, and the load capacity has increased by a ton - up to 2.5 tons. The fuel tank capacity has increased to 105 liters. The basic GAZ-51 truck had high (up to 80%) commonality with the all-wheel drive version and even with the Pobeda passenger car (in terms of the engine). In addition, the design of the new truck included a hydraulic brake drive, which by that time had proven itself well in world practice.
About borrowing
And yes, it is widely known that connections between the Gorky plant and the American automobile industry began back in the 1930s - that same GAZ-AA “one and a half” was initially a licensed copy of the Ford-AA, which also provided for the further completely legal migration of technology from Ford to GAZ.
The history of these “cultural ties” is painted by different researchers in both positive and negative tones: some say that GAZ really drew the best from world ideas, and that is what was good in those years, while others blame GAZ designers (the same Krieger, for example) in an overly conservative approach and a constant glance at foreign technical solutions.
But in fact, why shouldn’t the Gaza people 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 received under Lend-Lease (we had the nickname “Dodge Three Quarters”), and at the plant itself during the war they assembled Ford trucks G8T and Chevrolet G7107. Of course 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, was assembled in September of the same year. And 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, Gorky residents showed one of these cars to government members 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 production GAZ-51 trucks rolled off the assembly line of the Gorky Automobile Plant. As we know, just nine days earlier, on June 21, another new product was launched in Gorky - subsequently the no less legendary Pobeda passenger car, the GAZ-20-M. But if the path of Victory’s life at the initial stage turned out to be thorny (after some time, the assembly even had to be suspended due to numerous imperfections in the design), then the path of the “lawn” turned out to be straight, like an arrow.
After the war, the country needed just such transport - unpretentious, durable, capable of transporting anything. No matter how good the GAZ-AA “one and a half” and the “three-ton” ZIS-5 were, they were heroes of their era - great, filled with truly heroic deeds, but already fading into the past.
In the photo: GAZ 51 Experienced (Sample No. 4) "1944 “Lawn”, due to its carrying capacity, could in part be considered a replacement for both of these machines, although it should be noted that the Zisov “three-ton” has its own pedigree, branch of evolution and, in general, destiny.
But for the lorry, which was almost always used for slaughter, often with double overload, the GAZ-51 really became a full-fledged replacement.
A number of innovative technical aspects, reflected in the gas truck, subsequently migrated to others soviet cars: found wide application wear-resistant cast iron cylinder liners, chrome-plated piston rings, radiator shutters, pre-heating from a blowtorch, oil cooler, thin-walled bimetallic crankshaft liners. It was on the GAZ-51 that, for the first time for USSR cars, an aluminum cylinder head, insertable valve seats, adjustable mixture heating, double oil filtration, closed crankcase ventilation and easily removable brake drums appeared... And this is not a complete list.
Modernization
In 1948, an all-wheel drive version of the model with the GAZ-63 index went down the assembly line, and then the “lawn” began a period of many years of modernization, led by designer B.I. Shikhov.
In the photo: GAZ 63 "1948–68 At first, the former all-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 car's curb weight dropped literally every year, reaching 2,296 kg by 1962. Over time, the engine power system was improved, and the GAZ-11 engine itself turned out to be a real long-liver, used on trucks, cars (GAZ-12), buses, special vehicles, and in various versions it 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 gas equipment, buses and export versions of the vehicle. Among these numerous modifications there was even a GAZ-51P truck tractor, which, by the way, was used for the first time in the USSR. vacuum booster brakes One of the modifications was made in Odessa - at the local OdAZ (there was one!) they mastered the GAZ-93 construction dump truck on a shortened GAZ-51 chassis. The “lawns” were also produced at the Irkutsk Automobile Assembly Plant.
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Taking all this into account, from 1946 to 1975 almost 3,500,000 GAZ-51 and GAZ-51A of various modifications were assembled. Besides, soviet truck According to the transferred documentation, they were collected in “brotherly” Poland, North Korea and China. No matter how trivial it may sound, Soviet designers produced a car that became a real symbol of that time.
In the photo: K-2.5-1E on the GAZ 51A chassis "1950–63 The last GAZ-51A was assembled on an assembly line in Gorky on April 2, 1975 and sent to the factory museum. But still sometimes, very rarely, the “lawn” can still be seen on the street, and one of my lucky colleagues even managed to do...
Are you tired of the hassle at work, the frantic pace of life, and traffic jams? I recommend mastering it great way relaxation - watching Soviet post-war films. Take a look at this naive black and white picture, filled with dreams of a bright future: smiling people, behind whose backs high-rise buildings are being built, and rare, but beautiful cars- he snorted respectfully and disappeared into the GAZ-51 alley, but Pobeda sailed sedately along the avenue... Those two GAZ cars - the fifty-first "lawn" and the passenger Pobeda - for the most part consisted of the entire Soviet post-war auto world. Why, life itself in the Soviet Union of those years was able to return to a normal, peaceful course largely thanks to these two machines.
Heirs
In 1961, the nominal successor to the “fifty-first”, GAZ-53, which had a payload capacity of three tons, went into production, and in 1966, the GAZ-52, which outwardly repeated its “big brother”, but with exactly the same as that of the “fifty”. first", with a lifting capacity of 2.5 tons. Despite this, three cars of two different generations (GAZ-51 belongs to the second generation of GAZ trucks, GAZ-52 and -53 to the third) were produced in parallel for many years.
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| In the photo: GAZ 53 | In the photo: GAZ 52 |
In 1990 and 1994, they were replaced by the first representatives of the fourth generation - the gasoline GAZ-3307 and the turbodiesel GAZ-3309. Finally, in 2014, LAWN NEXT appeared, which is currently being produced along with the previous generation, but in the future will completely replace it. These are completely different cars, with a payload 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 old-school “lawn”, are alive in them.
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| 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 continue the traditions of Victory - that is, about large domestic passenger cars.
GAZ-51: ancestor of a hard-working family
GAZ-51 belongs to the generation of post-war Soviet trucks (years of production - 1946-1975). However, the development of this model began even before the war, in February 1937. The new car was supposed to replace the “lorry” (GAZ-AA, GAZ-MM) that was widespread in the national economy of the USSR, which had a number of significant disadvantages, such as low carrying capacity , fragility of the chassis, frame, steering mechanism and cardan transmission...
DEVELOPMENT AND FIRST PROTOTYPES
When designing the GAZ-51 engine, Soviet designers carefully studied American 6-cylinder engines from the Dodge D5 (power 85 hp). A batch of these lower valve engines was specially purchased in the USA in 1936.
Having received a government order, the Gorky Automobile Plant in 1937 began work on a model with rear wheel drive and at the same time over its all-wheel drive versions - GAZ-62 and GAZ-63. The task was to unify these modifications as much as possible with the main model.
The first experimental samples did not yet have the familiar GAZ-51 cabin that we know. They were equipped with a cab and a semi-truck body. The first tests of the new truck (then still GAZ-11-51) took place from May 1939 to July 1941. One of the experimental samples after a run with gasoline fuel system(mileage was 325 thousand km) until the winter of 1945 it was tested with a gas generator installation.
In 1943, after a thorough study by the designers of 23 truck models in the USA, England and Germany, it was decided to increase the carrying capacity of the experimental samples (2 tons) to 2.5 tons.
During the testing process, changes were made to the lubrication system (a oil radiator), the length and number of leaf spring suspension sheets were increased, double-sided shock absorbers were installed at the front, the model was equipped with a disc transmission brake, the final drive was modernized and fuel filter. In 1944, a cabin from the Studebaker US6 began to be installed on experimental samples. In addition, tests showed that the engine only covers 15-20 thousand km before overhaul - due to the unsatisfactory quality of fuel and lubricants, engine components quickly wore out. In this regard, the engines of the prototypes produced in June 1945 were equipped with short cast iron liners, a fine oil filter, forced crankcase ventilation, carburetor diffusers with variable cross-section, and the electrical equipment was made 12-volt.
GO TO THE SERIES
In June 1945, Soviet leaders got acquainted with prototypes of the GAZ-51, and already in August of the same year, a resolution was adopted by the State Defense Committee to begin serial production of this truck.
Compared to its predecessor GAZ-AA new model had a platform extended by 50 cm, a load capacity of 1 ton more, 30% less gasoline consumption at more powerful engine(volume 3.48 l, power 70 hp), fuel tank capacity increased to 105 l, more durable frame, lower specific ground pressure. The gearbox gears and rear axle remained the same as on the GAZ-AA. The effectiveness of the braking system has been increased by strengthening the brakes with a hydraulic transmission drive disc brake, which was located behind the gearbox.
By this time, the truck had already been in serial production at the plant for 4 months (3,136 units were produced by the end of the year). The length of the test run was 5403 km. It traveled along the Gorky-Sevastopol route through Moscow, Kursk, Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Simferopol and Yalta. On the way back, the route was changed: Sevastopol, Simferopol, Kakhovka, Kherson, Nikolaev, Odessa, Chisinau, Mogilev-Podolsky, Vinnitsa, Zhitomir, Kyiv, Chernigov, Gomel, Bobruisk, Minsk, Moscow, Gorky. Seven GAZ-51s took part in this run. Based on the test results, there were no significant comments from the commission, and in general the truck was approved. The commission proposed increasing the volume of the body, protecting the battery from dirt and moisture, installing all-terrain tires, and equipping modifications intended for use in northern conditions with a cabin heater.
In 1947, the designers of the group that developed the GAZ-51, led by the chief designer of GAZ A. A. Lipgart, were awarded the Stalin Prize of the second degree.
Some features of the GAZ-51 of the first releases were interesting: due to post-war problems in the supply of metal sheets for cabins, only the front dashboard was made of metal, everything else was made of wood. In 1951, only the doors remained wooden. Only in 1957 did the cabin become completely metal. On trucks of the first releases they installed wheel disks from ZIS-5.
VARIATIONS ON THE THEME GAZ-51
At the Ural Automobile Plant in Miass, GAZ-93 dump trucks were developed on the GAZ-51 chassis. Their production was started by the Odessa Automobile Assembly Plant in May 1948. The GAZ-93 was equipped with a power take-off, the control levers of which were brought into the cabin. The tail lights and license plate holder have been moved to the rear wall of the cab. Spare wheel was now located between the cab and the body, but on the modification released in 1954 with a larger body - GAZ-93B - the spare tire was returned to its original place. In the same year, a batch of GAZ-93D with wooden metal body, and in 1955 - GAZ-93A and 93B with a modernized lifting mechanism. The Odessa plant produced dump trucks until 1958, and then switched to the production of semi-trailers. The production of dump trucks was transferred to the Saransk Plant (SAZ). In the period 1950-1952. GAZ-51 was also assembled at the Irkutsk automobile assembly plant.
In 1948, production of the GAZ-63 began - all-wheel drive version GAZ-51. This modification was produced until 1968. It was equipped with the same 6-cylinder engine with a volume of 3.48 liters and a power of 70 hp as the GAZ-51. Transfer case GAZ-63 was combined with a range multiplier, which significantly expanded the range of traction force transmitted to the drive axles. Front-wheel drive was switchable. Low gear turned on only when all-wheel drive was engaged. Due to wheels of a larger diameter than those of the GAZ-51, the GAZ-63 had a ground clearance of 270 mm. Its rear wheels were not twin, but single, which increased cross-country ability. Trucks intended for the needs of the army had shielded electrical equipment, and sometimes an additional (to the 105-liter) fuel tank with a capacity of 90 liters. A modification of the GAZ-63A with a winch at the front, a truck tractor GAZ-63P, and an armored personnel carrier GAZ-40 (BTR-40) boosted to 80 hp were also produced. engine that could carry 6-8 paratroopers. Some modifications were equipped with coaxial 14.5 mm machine guns. In 1946, a prototype of the GAZ-33 was built - a three-axle all-wheel drive truck based on the GAZ-63, but it did not go into mass production, since the power of the GAZ-51 engine turned out to be insufficient.
Compared to the GAZ-63, the fate of the GAZ-62 was not so successful. Even during the testing process, which began in 1940 and lasted until 1959, the car underwent many fundamental changes. The first sample of this modification was similar in appearance to the GAZ-AA, only with a more elongated front part, since more long engine. The truck was all-wheel drive, its gearbox was combined with a range. After replacing the cast iron engine head with an aluminum one, the engine power increased to 85 hp. During the tests, a fully loaded vehicle overcame fords 40 cm deep, snow cover 60 cm and slopes 20 degrees steep. In 1952, a significantly modified experimental sample appeared under the same index. Obviously, the designers were inspired by the all-wheel drive Dodge "3/4", which was supplied to the Red Army under Lend-Lease during the war and proved to be best side. The new GAZ-62 looked similar in appearance to both this car and the GAZ-69, which was being worked on at that time, only it was larger. Designed for the needs of the army, this prototype could carry 12 soldiers with full weapons and ammunition or 1200 kg of cargo. He developed maximum speed 85 km/h. This sample was demonstrated at the Moscow All-Union Industrial Exhibition in 1958, but the car did not go into mass production. New modernizations have begun. The third prototype with a cabover was similar in appearance to the GAZ-66, which appeared later. For the convenience of placing the truck in landing helicopters, the roof of its cabin was made of canvas, the windshield was folding, and the sides of the doors with glass were removable. The engine was equipped with a prechamber-torch ignition, which allowed for more economical fuel consumption. This prototype went into production, but only 69 were produced.
Since 1949, the GAZ-51B was produced with a gas cylinder system, which could run on gasoline and compressed gas (methane). The machine was equipped with a gas heater, which operated using exhaust gases, carburetor-mixer, gas reducer, pressure gauges and five cylinders. In 1950, another gas-cylinder modification was released - the GAZ-51Zh, but, unlike the GAZ-51B, it only ran on gas (propane-butane).
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Technical characteristics of the GAZ-63 car Years of production 1948-1968 Load capacity, kg: On Highway 2000 By dirt roads 1500 Engine, type GAZ-51, carburetor, four-stroke Number of cylinders 6 Working volume, cm 3 3480 Compression ratio 6.2 Power, hp at rpm 70/2800 Number of gears 4 Transfer case two-stage Main gear bevel pair Dimensions: length 5525 (5700) Width 2200 Cabin height 2245 Internal dimensions of the cargo platform: length 2940 Width 1990 Side height 690 Wheelbase, mm 3300 Wheel track, mm: Front 1588 Rear 1600 Own weight in running order, kg. 3200 (3440) Maximum speed, km/h 70 (65) Control fuel consumption, l per 100 km 25 |
In the period from 1949 to 1952. At the Gorky Automobile Plant, half-track all-terrain vehicles GAZ-41 based on the GAZ-51 were manufactured and tested. During testing, the GAZ-41 was repeatedly modernized. The changes mainly affected the tracked chassis. On the latest models, to improve maneuverability and maneuverability, a separate track braking system was installed. With a slight turn of the steering wheel, the car was controlled only by the front wheels; with stronger turns, one of the tracks slowed down. Tests showed insufficient engine power to work with such a chassis and the unreliability of the tracked chassis itself. The GAZ-41 all-terrain vehicles did not go into mass production.
In 1955, based on the GAZ-51 and GAZ-63, they were developed tractor units, which could work with semi-trailers with a carrying capacity of 4 tons. To improve the efficiency of the brakes of these tractors, the main brake cylinder was enlarged, and the brakes were equipped with a hydraulic vacuum booster. In the same year, a modification of the GAZ-51A was released, which differed from the main model in three folding sides, a drum-type transmission brake, cabin heating and windshield blowing.
GAZ-51, based on Soviet documentation and drawings, was produced in China (Yuejin NJ130), North Korea (Sungri-58) and Poland (GAZ Lublin-51).
Since 1956, the GAZ-51N began to be supplied to the army. This modification was equipped with a GAZ-63 body, electrical equipment, radiator and tanks. From 1951 to 1956 The Pavlovsk Bus Plant on the GAZ-51 chassis produced the AS-3 ambulance bus for the army (AS-1 on the GAZ-63 chassis). The wooden body, sheathed in metal, had 13 seats (or 4 lying ones). The body was heated and ventilated.
In 1950, based on the GAZ-51, they began to produce the 21-seater GZA-651 bus. Initially, its body frame was wooden. After the transfer of production to the Pavlovsk Bus Plant, they began to produce a modification with an all-metal body under the designation PAZ-651A. These hooded buses had a frame extended by 735 mm, four shock absorbers in the rear suspension, additional leaves in the springs, and a vertical steering column. GZA-651 had many other modifications: PAZ-654 (military), PAZ-657 (for transporting bread), PAZ-659 (mobile shop), PAZ-655 (collector). In 1958, GZA-651 began to be produced at the Kurgan Bus Plant. It was produced under the designation KAvZ-651. There were all-wheel drive modifications of buses - PAZ-659 and KAvZ-653, which used GAZ-63 units.
After several unsuccessful attempts by Gorky and other car assembly plants to develop a cabover bus, serial production of the RAF-251, a carriage-type bus on the GAZ-51 chassis, began in 1955 in Riga. Its production continued until 1958. In Tartu, on the basis of the GAZ-51, the production of passenger buses (car layout) TA-6, bakery and isothermal vans TA-9 and TA-9B, and a postal bus TA-9S was launched.
A whole range of covered vans for various purposes were produced on the GAZ-51 chassis: grain vans KHA-2-57 and U-97, furniture GZTM-954, grocery U-122, GZTM-953, fire trucks, street cleaning trucks, fuel and oil tankers .
The last GAZ-51 rolled off the assembly line on April 2, 1975. The GAZ-63 was discontinued earlier, in April 1968. In the spring of 1973, production of the KavZ-651 was discontinued. The largest number of GAZ-51s was produced in 1958 (173 thousand units). In total, over 29 years, more than 3.5 million GAZ-51 trucks were produced.
Just 15 years ago, this truck, along with the GAZ-53 and ZIL-130, was actively used in agriculture, in urban transportation, and for driving lessons. Somewhere in the countryside you could also take a ride on the KAVZ-651 bus. Nowadays, sometimes, no, no, and yes, an old man 51 will flash somewhere in the noisy stream of modern cars, however, less and less often... But now collectors pay attention to this truck more often. It’s still easier to find one in more or less good condition than a “one and a half” or “three-ton”. And it’s easier with spare parts. Collectors who restore these cars treat them with great affection, because behind the modest appearance of the 51 hides a rich and multi-faceted history.
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LIPGART ANDREY ALEXANDROVICH (1898 - 1980) Soviet automobile designer, Doctor of Technical Sciences, corresponding member of the Academy of Artillery Sciences (1947), Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the RSFSR (1958), laureate of five Stalin Prizes (1942, 1943, 1947, 1950 g., 1951). From 1925 to 1933 he worked at the Central Research Automotive and Automotive Institute(NAMI), taking an active part in the creation of the first Soviet cars. At NAMI he became the chief designer automobile department. From 1933 to 1951, A. A. Lipgart was the chief designer of the Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ), where, under his leadership and with direct participation, GAZ-51, GAZ-63 trucks, and passenger cars were created GAZ-M1, GAZ-20 "Pobeda", GAZ-12 and others. The release of these cars allowed the domestic automotive industry to take the path of creating original, reliable and durable designs. During the war, in 1942 and 1943. A. A. Lipgart received two Stalin Prizes, the first for the GAZ-64 command vehicle and the BA 64 armored car. post-war years the designer was awarded three more Stalin Prizes: for developing the design and putting into production the GAZ-51 (in 1947), GAZ 20 "Pobeda" (1950), GAZ-12 "ZIM" (in 1951). In total, over 18 years at GAZ, under the leadership of A. A. Lipgart and with his direct participation, 67 experimental models were developed and built, of which 27 went into production. And this, perhaps, was the period (late 1940s - early 1950s ), when domestic cars and trucks were not inferior to foreign ones in most respects, and in some respects they were superior. Brilliant technical erudition, deep knowledge of production and technology, intransigence to shortcomings, goodwill and rare sensitivity to people earned Liphart enormous respect, recognition and exceptional authority among workers in the automotive industry. In 1951, under a far-fetched pretext, he was removed from the post of chief designer, and in 1952 he was sent as an engineer to Miass at the Ural Automobile Plant, where he worked for only a year, and at his suggestion and with his active participation, a radical modernization of the UralZIS-truck was carried out. 5... |
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Comparative characteristics GAZ-51
ENGINE
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GAZ-51 is a Soviet-era truck, popular in the 50s of the last century. The lifting capacity of 2.5 tons allowed the machine to be used in almost all industries National economy THE USSR. The model was a fairly reliable flatbed truck. Over 30 years of continuous production, 3,480 thousand cars of various modifications rolled off the assembly line.
History of creation
In 1937, a project was launched at the Molotov Gorky Automobile Plant to create a new middle-class truck. The concept of the vehicle was clearly defined: the needs of the country's national economy required a universal, reliable and easy-to-use carrier. The GAZ-51 became such a car, the technical characteristics of which were quite good from the very beginning.
Tests
In the summer of 1938, production of the main components and assemblies was launched, in January 1939 the first prototypes were assembled, and a year and a half later the new machine was tested. In the summer of 1940, the GAZ-51 car was exhibited at VDNKh in Moscow as the best achievement of Soviet mechanical engineering.
Pre-war period
In the spring of 1941, technical documentation was transferred to the assembly shop of the plant to launch the machine into mass production. But the war began, and the production of the new car had to be suspended. The developments in the units were useful for other vehicles, including military ones. Engine and gearbox GAZ-51, cardan shaft with crosspieces on needle bearings, clutch with release bearing and other components were used in the production of military equipment.
Start of release
After the end of the war, the Gorky plant continued preparations for serial production of the GAZ-51, and by the end of 1945, an initial batch of 20 vehicles was produced. New car immediately established itself as a reliable and inexpensive truck to operate. The GAZ-51 gearbox was improved, and the car's transmission worked flawlessly. Production continued, and in 1946, 3,136 cars hit the country's roads.
Speed characteristics
The model turned out to be extremely simple. This was the first truly successful development in the USSR, which did not require improvements. The performance of the GAZ-51 seemed impeccable. The car was fast, its cruising speed was about 75 km/h. The car held the road steadily, while being easy to control. A fairly soft suspension combined with effective hydraulic shock absorbers made it possible to reach speeds of over forty kilometers per hour on country roads, which was a tangible advantage compared to other vehicles.
Stalin Prize
The performance of the GAZ-51 was higher than that of the popular “three-ton” ZIS-5, while Gorky’s car consumed 30% less fuel. Taking into account all the advantages, both speed and economic, the machine was recognized as the most suitable for the needs Agriculture. Starting from the end of 1946, almost all cars were sent directly from the assembly line to collective and state farms. And in 1947, the group of car creators, together with the chief designer of the Gorky plant A. A. Lipgart, was awarded the Stalin Prize.
Expansion of production
The USSR State Planning Committee submitted monthly applications for the production of GAZ-51 in quantities significantly exceeding production capabilities. Thus, the question arose about expanding assembly areas. In 1948, the production of popular cars was mastered at the Odessa Auto Assembly Plant, and in 1950 the assembly line was launched in Irkutsk, where production continued from 1950 to 1952, then the production of trucks was curtailed for a number of reasons. In Odessa, cars were produced for 27 years. Last car, which rolled off the production line on April 2, 1975, was sent to the factory museum.
Engine
The power plant of the vehicle fully corresponded to the tasks assigned to the truck. The optimal volume of the cylinders made it possible to develop sufficient power for movement in any mode. The GAZ-51 engine had the following characteristics:
- type - gasoline;
- number of cycles - 4;
- cylinder volume - 3,485 cc/cm;
- power - 70 horsepower at 2750 rpm;
- torque - 200 Nm at 1500 rpm;
- cylinder arrangement - in-line;
- number of cylinders - 6;
- number of valves - 12;
- cylinder diameter - 82 mm;
- compression ratio - 6.2;
- cooling system - circulating liquid, closed circuit;
- power supply system - carburetor.
Improvements
The motor is the successor power plant GAZ-11, which was once created on the basis of a Chrysler lower-valve engine under a 1937 license. The piston group was constantly improved, liners were installed from special wear-resistant cast iron, compression piston rings were chrome-plated, and new bimetallic (steel-babbit) liners were developed for the main and connecting rod journals of the crankshaft. As a result of the use of technical innovations, engine life has increased significantly.
Modernization
During the modernization, an aluminum block head and insert valve seats were used. The car gradually absorbed all the advanced technologies, its design was systematically improved. In 1954, the car's cabin became all-metal, and a heater was installed at the same time. The new cabin became an incentive to change the shape of the front end; the lining acquired more modern look, fenders with headlights organically fit into the overall style. Special vertical louvers were installed behind the radiator grille, which prevented excessive cooling of the engine in winter.
Export
In 1949, a modification of the GAZ-51U was developed, which was intended to be sent abroad to countries with a temperate climate. The car was exported for six years, from 1949 to 1955, in small series. Then the design bureau of the Gorky Automobile Plant developed the GAZ-51YU model, adapted for use in tropical climates. This modification was produced for almost twenty years, from 1956 to 1975. Trucks were sent to Africa and Asia, where they were used on construction sites or used as a regular vehicle for transporting goods and livestock.
A model with increased payload capacity, the GAZ-51V, was also exported. The car body could hold 3.5 tons. Production continued from 1957 to 1975. The car was equipped with a 78 horsepower engine, the GAZ-51 rear axle was borrowed from all-wheel drive all-terrain vehicle GAZ-63. Larger tires were used - 8.25x20.
Another one export modification- GAZ-51DU. It was a car for regions with temperate climates, produced on the basis of a dump truck chassis.
The GAZ-51DU was exported to countries with a tropical climate on the GAZ-93AT dump truck.
Truck tractors were also exported: GAZ-51PU was intended for countries with moderate climatic conditions, GAZ-51PU - for hot regions.
Modifications
Over the thirty-year period of production of the popular truck, special models for various purposes. The list includes experimental and serial modifications of the GAZ-51:
- All-wheel drive vehicle with two axles (4x4 wheel arrangement). Rear axle GAZ-51 was equipped with single wheels. Serial production of the model lasted from 1948 to 1946. The car was supplied to logging sites and forest districts as an auxiliary off-road vehicle. The sides of the body were extended, the car was equipped with arches for installing an awning.
- GAZ-93 is a construction dump truck with a lifting capacity of 2.25 tons, mounted on a shortened GAZ-51 chassis. Produced in small batches by the Odessa Assembly Plant. Production lasted from 1948 to 1955.
- GAZ-51N is an army truck with a body from the GAZ-63 model, an additional 105-liter gas tank and folding longitudinal seats along the sides. It was mass-produced from 1948 to 1975.
- GAZ-51B is a modification with a gas cylinder fuel system running on natural liquefied gas. It was produced in small batches from 1949 to 1960 based on the GAZ-51A.
- GAZ-51Zh is a model equipped with a base-cylinder device operating on liquefied petroleum gas. Produced in limited quantities from 1954 to 1959. The total number of gas-fueled vehicles that came off the assembly line is 12,212.
- GAZ-51A - onboard base car, was distinguished by an extended body with high sides. Used for agricultural harvesting work. It was mass-produced from 1955 to 1975.
- GAZ-51F is a small-scale modification equipped with a pre-chamber-torch ignition engine with a power of 80 horsepower. The car was produced in 1955.
- GAZ-51S is a specialized modification with an additional fuel tank with a capacity of 105 liters. The car was intended for long trips. It was mass-produced from 1956 to 1975.
- GAZ-51SE is a highly specialized model, equipped with a reserve fuel tank of 105 liters and shielded electrical equipment. The machine was designed to work in areas of electromagnetic waves.
- GAZ-51R is a cargo taxi with the ability to transport people. Folding seats were installed along the sides, and the rear side was equipped with a door and a ladder. Serial production lasted from 1956 to 1975.
- GAZ-51T - the car was intended for transportation large cargo. The modification was produced in small series from 1956 to 1975.
- GAZ-51P is a tractor with a fifth wheel device for towing semi-trailers with a carrying capacity of up to 3 tons. Produced from 1956 to 1975.
- GAZ-51D - a specialized chassis with a frame shortened by 320 mm, intended for dump trucks of the GAZ-93A, GAZ-93B, SAZ-2500 brands. The cars were mass-produced from 1958 to 1975.
- GAZ-93A - construction dump truck. Produced on a shortened GAZ-51A chassis from 1958 to 1975 in Odessa and Saransk.
- Small-class bonnet buses: KAvZ-651A, PAZ-651A, PAZ-651, GZA-651 with 19 seats. They were produced on the GAZ-51 chassis. Production was established at the Kurgan Bus Plant (KAvZ) in 1958-1973, the Gorky Bus Plant (GZA) in 1949 and at the Pavlovsk Bus Plant (PAZ) in 1950-1958.
- Passenger buses of the PAZ-651 brand on the GAZ-51 chassis were produced at factories in Kyiv, Tartu, Kaunas, Tosno and Borisov. In Sochi in 1955, one hundred open-top convertible-type excursion buses were manufactured.
- GZA-653 is a vehicle for sanitary purposes. Produced by the Gorky Bus Plant from 1958 to 1975.
- Cars were produced on the GAZ-51 and GAZ-63 chassis special purpose: tank trucks, furniture vans, insulated vehicles, grain trucks, fire trucks, utility repair trucks, aerial platforms and many others.
Tuning
Some cars of the past, which were discontinued many years ago, sometimes get a second life. Enthusiasts and collectors are engaged in restoring cars from the 50s and 60s. They find preserved rarities in landfills or abandoned garages, transport them to their workshops, and there the long and painstaking process of reviving the car begins.
Along with the restoration, the exterior is often updated. This creative process called tuning. As a result of alterations, the car can radically change its appearance.
GAZ-51, tuning of which became possible thanks to the use of the latest technologies and the latest technical means, is one of the cars from the middle of the last century that has good potential for reincarnation.
At the first stage, it is necessary to make a list of all the changes that the tuning masters intend to make to the exterior of the car. The accuracy of the drawings is important. GAZ-51, tuning of which can be complicated by the dimensions of the car, should be carefully measured and two sets of technical documentation made - original sizes and change parameters. Then you can get to work. For full tuning, you will need equipment in the range of a repair shop: gas welding, grinder, drilling machine, set of plumbing tools, painting equipment.
GAZ-51, whose technical characteristics are considered ideal for tuning conditions, can become a good object for creativity. A tuned car can become a participant in a rare exhibition automotive technology, as well as fairs and sales of antique vehicles. If the rarity is in good condition technical condition, he will be able to take part in a car rally or even in competitions.
