MILITARY OFF-ROAD

the Hero of our story – the GAZ-67B, one of that specific type, which during the Second world war became known as “jeep”. But even a few years before the appearance of this model in the Soviet Union already had cars, which had on its creation and design is quite a big impact. So refer to the summer of 1936 when Gorky (until 1932 and again now Nizhny Novgorod) automobile plant was built the first prototypes of the GAZ-M1 (“emka”).

 

This machine is designed under the guidance of V. A. Grachev autoconstructor, was designated GAZ-61-40 with all-wheel drive. It was a outdoor version of “emka” (GAZ-11-40), is equipped with three-stage gearbox four-speed. From behind her, placed the transfer box were the prop shafts to the front and back leading bridges. Drive front driving axle may be disconnected.

 

A difficult task was designing the front axle. As its wheels were driven, they had to connect to axle shafts by universal joints, and such, which at high (35° – 40°) angles of rotation of the wheels would create harmful vibrations and jerks. The best solution for a machine dependent wheel suspension was ball universal joint of equal angular velocities, the so-called hinge type “Rzeppa”. Today it is widely used in the front axles of cars of the raised passableness, but it was new and confusing.

 

GAZ-61-40 had a very good maneuverability on rough terrain and dirt roads, went well and marshy, sandy, snow-covered sections of the road could take the climbs a slope to 43°. Its advantages were obvious, and in 1941, the plant began production of this machine. However, serial samples (they are assigned an index of GAZ-61) was not open body and closed, the saloon is the same as on the six-cylinder “m” GAZ-11-73 (“modelist-Konstruktor”, 1974, No. 5). By the way, the GAZ-61 was equipped with the same six-cylinder engine as the GAZ-11-73. By the way, the GAZ-61 in the beginning of the great Patriotic war were used by our famous generals – K. E. Voroshilov, G. K. Zhukov, I. S. Konev.

 

When the war started, production “emok”, and hence the bodies on Gaza had to stop. In the first months of the front received the “pickups”, GAZ-61-415, with a canvas cabin. They were used to tow light anti-tank guns, as a coherent and command. Need them on the front was huge, and in the summer of 1941, V. Grachev, given the demands of wartime, in a very short time – literally a half-two months – designed easy to manufacture the car – the GAZ-64. In fact, whole new it was only the body, front suspension and radiator. The rest of it was completed from parts and components from previous cars GAS.

 

 

GAZ-61-40 (GAZ-11-40) – all-wheel drive version of “emka” GAZ-M1 with an open cockpit, four-cylinder engine and four-speed gearbox

 

 

GAZ-61 – four-wheel drive vehicle with a closed body from “emka” and a six-cylinder engine

 

 

GAZ-64 testing

 

 

Armored car BA-64 on the chassis of the GAZ-64

 

 

 

Thus, the development of the GAZ-64 did not require a significant time and cost, simplified supply of spare parts. For example, the engine, four-speed gearbox, steering gear, fuel tank and instrument panel taken from “lorry”, and the front and rear drive axles with brakes, wheels and shock absorbers from GAZ-61. However, leading the bridges had to be reconstructed – their rut was reduced from 1435 mm to 1250 mm. Why? Because a technical specification for the design of the GAZ-64 was required to create a compact command and reconnaissance car with a length of 3.33 m and a width of 1.55 m. To provide the desired width of a car, had to go for alteration of bridges.

 

Easy-open body with folding canvas top V. Grachev designed to minimize the consumption of scarce during the war years the steel sheet. The car was missing doors (replaced with canvas sides), and the bulkhead had a small height. So if you need to speed up planting in the car, you can just “jump” across the Board. The shape of the body GAZ-64 allowed all the parts to produce predominantly with a flexible and hood (requiring expensive dies) reduced to the limit.

 

I must say, that of the GAZ-64 before the war was a precursor. In 1940, the Scientific autotractor Institute (now US) has developed a design of a light army reconnaissance vehicle terrain NACHI-AR. War prevented further work on this interesting machine. However, the experience was useful in the design and construction of the GAZ-64.

 

Many countries, in particular Germany, England, Italy, USA, started before the beginning of the war to the production of such cars. Later named, or rather nicknamed, one of the most common models of this type – “Ford-Dzhi-PI” (it was built according to the drawings of the factory “jeep”) cars like that were called “jeeps”. And GAZ-64, production of which was launched in the autumn of 1941, was the first Soviet “jeep”.

 

At the end of 1942, the GAZ-64 improved: expanded to 1466 mm rut both axles, instead of the semicircular cutouts in the bodywork over the wheels were the wings, as the track became more and body width has not changed. This step is explained by the fact that as a “jeep” and GAZ-64, which had a narrow (1250 mm) track, when driving in bends and slopes had a tendency to flip. A wider track has helped to eliminate this disadvantage. The improved car received index GAZ-67, and after further modernization in 1944, he became known as the GAZ-67B. In fact, the latest version of machine is widespread. It was distinguished by an advantageous weight distribution on the axles, wide tires (a size of 7.00-16) developed cleats, quite high ground clearance (210 mm) and small overhangs front and rear. Taken together, these features increased the GAZ-67B was already good permeability, added traction qualities. The car could tow a trailer weighing 800 -1000 kg, confidently walked on the broken front road without the engine overheating (it was a radiator with six rows of cooling tubes instead of three, as in the “lorry”), a long time could move at the speed of pedestrians on a flat road speeds up to 90 km/h.