GAZ-64: specifications, photos

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

The all-wheel drive Soviet army vehicle, the GAZ-64 (photos below), was developed in the spring of 1941. The machine was distinguished by a wide unification of the chassis, components and assemblies, which made it possible to establish mass production of the model in record time. The GAZ-64 car was the first Russian-made SUV and was intended for command personnel of all levels in the Armed Forces of the USSR.

In addition to the main function - transportation of officers, sergeants and foremen - the vehicle was used as a light tractor for the redeployment of small-caliber artillery pieces. Also, the GAZ-64 could transport up to eight personnel in the back for a short distance. Thus, the machine could transport the gun from place to place, along with the crew and the commander, in a matter of minutes.

History of Creation

The car has its own past, which goes back to the pre-war years. In 1940, the head of the Technical Directorate of the Red ArmyI read an article about the forthcoming release of the American jeep-all-terrain vehicle "Bantam-S40". The general came up with the idea of producing the same domestic off-road vehicle for the Soviet Army. He shared his thoughts with People's Commissar V. A. Malyshev, who at that time was in charge of heavy engineering. The idea was supported and developed.

"Bantam" was conditionally taken as a basis, on its basis they created a GAZ-64 with a narrow gauge and their own body parameters. The Soviet jeep differed from the American counterpart just so much that there could be no complaints about copying. Thus, a completely independent model went into development.

The Soviet jeep GAZ-64, the history of which takes a considerable period of time, was created at two plants, Gorky and NATI. Specifications were strictly regulated from the very beginning. Length, track and weight were to remain unchanged. The layout of the upper body was developed taking into account the installation of light small arms, machine guns and a 30 mm cannon. A lot of attention was focused on making sure that the off-road vehicle runs smoothly so that the shooter can fire accurately on the move.

Meaning of unification

The creation of the domestic jeep took place under the leadership of senior designer V. A. Grachev. He made sure that the new car was as unified as possible with the existing Soviet models GAZ-MM and GAZ-61, which subsequently greatly facilitated the release of the "sixty-fourth". The first tests formilitary training ground gave good operational results, but the assembly technology needed to be improved. The car was dismantled and a thorough analysis of the condition of the parts was carried out.

The unequivocal conclusion was made that the prototype turned out to be technologically complex. Thus, the serial production was decided to be suspended. The outbreak of the war made its own adjustments, and the production of the GAZ-64 had to be started already in the evacuation. Nevertheless, the vehicles were supplied in sufficient quantities to the active army and were successfully used on the fronts of the Second World War.

Design features

The GAZ-64 model was created on the basis of the GAZ-61, in a shortened version. The difference in length was 755 millimeters, due to which the new SUV has become more maneuverable and stable. The short wheelbase made it possible to eliminate the intermediate cardan shaft, which created certain problems when assembling the car.

From the GAZ-61 model, the steering assembly, brake system, front axle, rear springs and transfer case were borrowed. They took the engine and gearbox from GAZ-MM after its refinement.

The engine had to be raised due to the high frame spars and brackets, while the center of gravity of the front of the car shifted forward and to the side. However, the emerging imbalance was insignificant, and the design was not changed.

Initially, the cross-country ability of the all-terrain vehicle left much to be desired due to an imperfect tread pattern. The shortage of special off-road tires forced the assemblers to use the usual winter tires.16-inch tires, which proved to be ineffective when driving in wetlands. Later, the production of special tires for the GAZ-64 with a "herringbone" pattern was organized.

Flaws

The weak point of the first Soviet SUV was the front suspension of the spring design. The elliptical sheets used in the layout of the bridge were characterized by excessive rigidity, which caused breakage. However, the suspension also had strengths - powerful fingers stood at the ends of the spring pack, they did not have to be demolished. A new machine, especially an off-road type, cannot be structurally ideal, it requires constant improvement.

The next drawback of the chassis of the GAZ-64 was "galloping" when driving over rough terrain. Because of this feature, the car was nicknamed the "goat". The effect was caused, first of all, by an extremely shortened wheelbase, as well as improperly selected single-acting shock absorbers. After eliminating all the shortcomings, the machine's progress leveled off.

The GAZ-64 model, whose design is not particularly difficult, generally met the requirements for operation in wartime field conditions. The engine almost never failed, worked stably even on low-octane gasoline and developed sufficient power. The transmission, propeller shaft, axles and transfer case were also reliable and unpretentious in operation.

Body

The design of the all-terrain vehicleframe. The body of a military jeep of domestic production was of a fairly rational design, open type, four-seater. In the rear of the cockpit housed light small arms, ammunition and a walkie-talkie. In order to quickly leave the car, the doors were abolished, and on long forced marches, doorways were closed with special canvas curtains. The upper awning of the simplest form was stretched over arcs, glass was mounted in metal frames in the side walls.

The windshield folded forward and fixed on the hood. Thus, the car body was completely open on all sides. The frame consisted of flat panels, corners and longitudinal parts. The ends were closed with tubular edging. Only spot welding was used to connect the individual parts of the frame.

Production

In early August 1941, the first batch of all-terrain vehicle rolled off the assembly line, and by the end of the year 600 copies were assembled, which was not bad at all for wartime. In addition to the "goats" for the command staff, the BA-64 armored cars were produced on the GAZ-64 chassis, their number by the summer of 1943 reached 3900 units. Since 1942, the plant produced mainly armored vehicles. Motorists in Gorky even found an opportunity to upgrade the existing model and based on it they created the BA-64B with an extended track, after which the car stopped rolling over. The GAZ-64 model, whose production was discontinued in 1943, was the best auxiliary wartime transport.

Simultaneously with the BA-64B armored car was launchedinto serial production of the GAZ-67, which became an improved successor to the "sixty-fourth". The new model differed from its predecessor in a more elegant grille, although this does not matter for a military vehicle. The headlights were located in special recesses and could be adjusted manually in all directions.

Specifications GAZ-64

Weight and dimensions parameters:

• car length - 3305mm;
• height - 1690 mm;
• width - 1530 mm;
• ground clearance - 210mm;
• wheelbase - 2100 mm;
• front track - 1278 mm;
• rear track - 1245 mm;
• vehicle weight - 1200 kg;
• gas tank capacity - 70 l.

Collectible value

The GAZ-64 car is currently extremely rare, more and more all-terrain vehicles GAZ-69 of post-war production come across on the roads. The greatest similarity of the 64th can be traced to the GAZ-67 model. From the latter, you can make tuning of its predecessor. The only difference is the grille and the four-spoke steering wheel.

To make the GAZ-64 truly rare, you need to find the original rubber with a deep herringbone brand Ya-13. This is a daunting task, since there are only a few such tires. You can install tires from the "Willis", the American counterpart.

Simulation

The car is also of interest to collectors of miniature copies. Model 1:43 GAZ-64 is the dream of many collectors of rarelayouts.

In June 2010, Hongwell Toys Limited released an exact copy of the GAZ-64 on a scale of 1:43 with a retractable awning, in four colors - khaki, green, sand, ash.