Gas aa lorry specifications. How the GAZ-AA "Lorry" or Ford's Legacy appeared in the Soviet Union. Design features of the GAZ-AA lorry

The GAZ-AA truck is a legendary car of the pre-war and military era of the USSR. This truck has been produced since 1932 at Gorky car factory. The name GAZ-AA was not chosen at all by chance, since the car is a copy of the American Ford-AA truck, a batch of which was bought by the Soviet Union. It was on the basis of the "American" that the GAZ-AA truck was built, which was subsequently modernized several times.

The history of the appearance of the first GAZ-AA

In the early 1930s, the Soviet automobile industry was in its infancy, or rather, it practically did not exist. The country's leadership decided to buy a license in the United States for the production of simple and inexpensive to maintain Ford AA. The Gorky Automobile Plant at that time was the largest machine-assembly enterprise, so it was decided to establish the process of assembling a Soviet truck there.

Since the GAZ-AA device was very simple, Soviet design engineers quickly replaced the American units with domestic ones, which were developed at the local design bureau. This helped to increase production, some parts from the US had to wait several months earlier. Serial production of the Soviet truck began in 1932, and the pace of assembly was immediately very high. About 60 new trucks rolled off the assembly line per day.

The Soviet GAZ-AA differed from its American prototype for a number of reasons:

It was decided to immediately replace the clutch housing with a cast one, since the American tin crankcase seemed too fragile;
The worm gear was reinforced;
The carburetor received an air filter that was not on the American truck;
The GAZ-AA body was developed anew according to domestic drawings.

A few years later, Soviet designers managed to develop a unique dump truck version of the GAZ-AA. Unlike traditional dump trucks with a lifting body, the dump truck had a simpler operation algorithm. Due to the shape of the bottom of the body, the cargo simply slid through the open tailgate of the car.

Design features of the GAZ-AA lorry

The powerful GAZ-AA frame received spring suspension front and rear. The absence of shock absorbers made this truck very rigid and unstable, although no one even thought about such nuances in those years. Any car was then perceived as a miracle, so no one paid attention to the primitive suspension design. But it broke quite rarely, which was repeatedly demonstrated during the Great Patriotic War.

GAZ-AA engines have always been distinguished by their simplicity of design, high reliability and maintainability. Their peculiarity was that they worked perfectly on the worst gasoline and even on kerosene. This is currently used by car collectors who have rare GAZ-AA. Low-octane fuel is now impossible to get, but kerosene is sold freely.

The assembly of GAZ-AA switched completely to domestic components in 1933. Although many believe that the GAZ-AA cabin was wooden, it was made of wood only until 1934. Then it became metal with a tarpaulin roof. The main disadvantages of GAZ-AA were as follows:

Unreliable starter and battery. The starter burst after 5-6 months, and the battery also failed by this time, so the car was usually started with a crooked starter;
The lack of shock absorbers also caused a lot of inconvenience to drivers;
An acute shortage of tires led to the fact that right at the factory rear axle it was equipped with only two wheels, instead of four, which negatively affected the load capacity and stability.

Despite some design flaws, the technical characteristics of the GAZ-AA were quite high for their time. The truck has become the most massive Soviet car during the war and pre-war years. Many different installations, tanks, auto laboratories and special vehicles were installed on the GAZ-AA chassis. The famous "Katyusha" was installed on the GAZ-AA chassis.

Modernization of GAZ-AA in 1938

In 1938, the GAZ-AA car was seriously modernized. The main innovation was new engine GAZ-MM. New motor was much more powerful, which increased the maximum speed of the machine. In addition to the motor, the upgraded "one and a half" received a more reliable and modern steering gear and a cardan on needle bearings.

Before the war, the machine was widely used in various branches of agriculture. At that time, a load capacity of 1.5 tons was considered optimal, since there were simply no more powerful trucks in the Soviet Union. However, in many branches of agriculture they quickly figured out how to increase the carrying capacity of the machine. For this, the dimensions of the body were simply increased by increasing the sides.

Specifications GAZ-AA

The Soviet rear-wheel drive truck GAZ-AA had a classic front-engine layout and the following technical characteristics:

Machine length - 5 335 mm;
Width - 2030 mm;
Height - 1,870 mm;
Curb weight - 1,810 kg;
The engine was installed on cars until 1938. It had a working volume of 3,285 cubic meters / cm and could develop a maximum power of 40 l / s;
The engine cooling system ran on water;
The transmission was mechanical;
Gearbox four-speed.

After 1938, GAZ-AA was renamed GAZ-MM. During the Great Patriotic War, it was decided to simplify the GAZ-MM trucks, so the cabs began to be made of wood. The metal was needed to build tanks.

Main modifications based on GAZ-AA and GAZ-MM

On the GAZ-AA chassis and its improved modification GAZ-MM were produced following models trucks:

GAZ-AAA is an interesting example of an off-road truck. It had three axles and a 6x4 wheel formula. This original truck was created on the basis of the American Ford Timken truck. The machine was capable of carrying loads up to 2 tons in weight. But due to the complexity of the design, this truck was produced in a very small edition. Three-axle trucks of this modification were produced from 1934 to 1943. In 1937, the car received an engine from GAZ-MM;
BA-10 - a small batch of armored cars on the GAZ-mm chassis. Since a small batch of armored hulls remained at the Izhora plant in the fall of 1941, it was decided to install them on the GAZ-MM chassis. Ready-made armored vehicles were assembled by the spring of 1942, and were delivered only to the Leningrad Front;
GAZ-410. Dump truck on GAZ-AA chassis. Produced from 1934 to 1946. It had a carrying capacity of 1.2 tons. These trucks were in great demand in the construction industry, as they did not need special personnel for unloading;
GAZ-42. An interesting modification that works on wood. Produced from 1938 to 1950. The power of this modification was 35 l / s, and the carrying capacity was about a ton. In reality, the carrying capacity was about 800 kg, since a supply of firewood was constantly fiddling with it, weighing about 200 kg;
GAZ-43 is the same gas-generating model as the GAZ-42, only this modification worked on coal. The gas generator unit was more miniature than that of the GAZ-42;
GAZ-44 - this modification worked on gas;
NATI-3 - half-track modification. Not mass-produced;
GAZ-60 - half-track modification;
GAZ-03-30. The most famous soviet bus 1930-1940s. It was distinguished by a 17-seater body, which was made of wood and sheathed with metal;
GAZ-55 is a special modification, which is an ambulance.

In addition, from 1932 to 1941, the PMG-1 fire truck was produced.

The Soviet GAZ-AA truck will forever remain in the memory of people, as it constantly flashes in military chronicles. It was these trucks that made their significant contribution to the victory over Nazi Germany.

The history of these machines is inextricably linked with the first Stalin five-year plans. With the roads of military hard times. With the restoration of the destroyed regions of the country. The name given to them by the people is one and a half.

May the reader forgive us for the fact that here we will consider only ordinary trucks with an onboard platform, leaving behind the scenes buses, dump trucks, three-axle and gas-generating models of pre-war vehicles with the GAZ brand. And yes, he will agree with us that considering the most famous basic machines, it is not at all necessary to touch on their numerous, but lesser known varieties.

In comparison with their Moscow peers, AMO-3 and, the Gorky lorry had a less perfect design of individual units and assemblies, and its suspension and chassis, originally designed for American "highways", were of little use for our operating conditions. But there was nothing special for carriers to choose from: the domestic automotive industry was actually just emerging, and in comparison with any car with a horse-drawn convoy, the latter still lost outright ...

GAZ-A and GAZ-AA car engines

GAZ-A cars and GAZ-AA trucks received the same Ford engine. No wonder: remember that the first lorry from recent history, in the 90s, shared their power units with Volga-31029.

The licensed Ford engine, which was inherited by Soviet cars in the 30s, was far from perfect not only from the standpoint of today, but already in the pre-war years.

The crankshaft of this four-cylinder unit was mounted on only three support bearings, and did not have counterweights to reduce vibration. And therefore, the stake was placed on a massive flywheel, which was additionally loaded with a clutch, which, of course, could not but transfer an increased dynamic load to the rear support bearing crankshaft. And the main and connecting rod bearings did not have, as they do now, thin-walled replaceable liners to improve the maintainability of the motors, but were filled with babbitt, and then required processing in place to fit the size of the necks of a particular shaft.

For comparison, let us recall how the Soviet four-cylinder GAZ-25 engine was made, almost the same size. This engine of the 1944 model received a four-bearing crankshaft. The crank of the first cylinder was located between the first and second bearing journals of the crankshaft, the crank of the fourth cylinder was located between the third and fourth bearings, respectively. And between the second and third bearing journals, the cranks of the second and third cylinders, and a common central balancer, rotated. Due to this arrangement of the crank mechanism, the weight of the flywheel was reduced to a minimum, and the loads on the main bearings were distributed more evenly.

power unit GAZ-25, after changes in the lubrication system, was subsequently redesignated as M-20, and was known as the engine for the Pobeda and GAZ-69 vehicles.

The gas distribution mechanism of the lorry did not have the ability to adjust the gaps in the valves that were selected initially, or worked from repair to repair, with all known consequences due to the resulting incorrect clearances.

Lubrication under pressure, as such, practically did not exist, the performance of the oil pump was only enough to provide supply with a slight excess pressure (0.8 - 1.5 atm on a warm engine) to the crankshaft and camshaft support bearings, and the connecting rod bearings were lubricated " self-drawing”, clinging in the lower position to the level of oil poured into the crankcase.

The piston group and cylinders were lubricated with the same spray. There were no oil filters, there were only a grid on the oil receiver, and factory requirements for changing the oil every 800-1000 km. run. If any of the readers does not believe that the lorry motors did without filters at all, then on the proposed scheme for the circulation of oil in the engine, he still will not find them.

Oil pressure was not controlled in any way, by unscrewing the plug in the oil line, the driver could only make sure that the pump was working, and there was still some kind of oil supply.

The cooling systems of these pre-war engines are of the thermosiphon type, with water circulation due to expansion when heated. And a small “exciting” pump only initiated the beginning of this circulation. There were no blinds, thermostats, water temperature control devices.

The K-14 carburetor, similar to the American Zenith, was attached under intake manifold, and was with an "upward" flow of the mixture, only due to the vacuum in the cylinders. There was no gas pump - the supply was carried out by gravity, fortunately, that the 40-liter fuel tank located above the carburetor, in fact, in the engine compartment.

But be that as it may, it was precisely such an engine that the lorries had from 1932 to 1938. This power unit, with a cylinder diameter of 98.43 mm. with a working volume of 3.28 liters, and a compression ratio of 4.2, developed 42 hp. at 2600 rpm, and a torque of 15.5 kgm at 1200 rpm. /min

In 1935, in anticipation of the start of production of the GAZ-M1 passenger car (1936), the engine was somewhat modernized. The increased compression ratio to 4.6 made it possible to increase power to 50 hp. at 2800 rpm, and a torque of up to 17 kgm at 1450 rpm. A fuel pump appeared on this engine (at the Emka, the gas tank was located under the rear overhang), a new ignition distributor with a centrifugal advance automatic device, as well as an output from the oil line to the pressure gauge in the cab of a passenger car.

But, as mentioned above, the lorry did not receive an increased power engine immediately. Yes, and the “modernization” was good for itself (as indicated by the letter “M”), if the truck engine did not receive an updated kit attachments! And their drivers were still left without oil pressure control, and with the only possible manual adjustment of the ignition timing. A gas pump would be, like an emka, a GAZ-MM lorry, and a gas tank under the body, of a larger volume - with a regular 40-liter capacity, you won’t run into much. But it was not supposed to: get along, chauffeur, with what you have, you are not the first!

In 1941, the engine of the GAZ-MM truck, which had been produced since 1938, was again upgraded. But only ... for installation on army command jeeps GAZ-64, (later GAZ-67). The power unit received a high-performance water pump for forced circulation of water, an ignition distributor with a centrifugal advance automatic device, and a K-23 carburetor with a “falling” mixture flow, which made it possible to increase power to 54 hp. Only the drivers of one and a half, as before, remained in their own interests ...

Transmission of GAZ-AA and GAZ-MM cars

Clutch GAZ-A cars A and GAZ-MM - dry, single-disk, with a mechanical lever drive. The clutch did not have its own crankcase, and therefore, during installation, it was installed on an open flywheel, which was then closed by a crankcase made integral with the gearbox housing.

Four-speed gearboxes, with spur gears, without synchronizers, had the following gear ratios: 1.- 6.40; 2.- 3.09; 3. - 1.69; 4.- 1.00; Z.Kh. - 7.82. Later, these units were taken as the basis for gearboxes for GAZ-61, -64, -67 jeeps, and post-war trucks and.

Thanks to the ingenuity of front-line drivers, the “fifth speed” appeared on the lorries. A stick with a horn at the end, broken out from a branch of a suitable tree, served as this. She was put in a thrust between the gearshift lever in the fourth speed position, and the bulkhead engine compartment. This solved the problem of constant “knocking out” of the direct transmission on the move of the machine when the parts of the secondary shaft of the gearbox were worn out. And the drivers of the ZIS trucks, meanwhile, managed only four speeds in the checkpoint, initially by design these machines.

The big problem with the maintainability of these trucks was the design of their drivelines. The transmission had a single joint that allowed the transmission of torque at a changing angle. This hinge connected the output, (secondary) shaft of the gearbox, with the drive shaft of the rear axle. The drive shaft of the rear axle was installed in a closed pipe, rigidly connected to the final drive housing. And the compression - recoil of the rear axle suspension was compensated only by a longitudinal spline connection of the drive shaft inside the pipe. And therefore, in case of malfunctions-wear and tear of a single hinge, it was necessary to remove it from the springs, unhook it from the jet and brake rods and “roll back” the entire rear axle.

If it was necessary to repair the clutch, everything was even more difficult. The already mentioned pipe did not allow to remove the gearbox by sliding it, as expected, back cardan shaft, which rested on the rear axle. And as the reader guesses, the way out was the only and diametrically opposite one - to remove the entire power unit, the engine along with the gearbox, forward.

In the figure below, an image of the driveline, final drive, axle shafts and wheel hubs of a GAZ-A passenger car is proposed. The fundamental difference between such a combination of units in a lorry is in the size of the parts, the shape and arrangement of the final drive housing. The mutual layout and arrangement of all parts that transmit forces to the wheels are the same for GAZ trucks and cars of the 30s.

Item 5 in the figure is the only drive shaft joint that transmits forces at a varying angle.

But the rear axle of the car, as such, was not a gift, and assumed considerable problems for operators and repairmen.

The main gear with a 6.60 gearbox did not contribute to the thrust-to-weight ratio of these machines, with their 40-50-horsepower engines. Recall that the GAZ-51 with a 70-horsepower engine, the rear axle gearbox had an even greater (6.67) ratio.

The lorry axle had axle shafts unloaded by ¾ and forged together with the differential gears. What did it mean? When assembling this unit, at first both axle shafts were assembled into a single unit, together with the final drive differential box. Then, on this node from both sides, the casings of the axle shafts “moved”. And then, at the ends of these semi-axes, wheel hubs were installed on a conical landing, which were fixed from turning with dowels, and from weakening the mutual conical connection - with cottered nuts.

The hubs did not rotate on double tapered roller bearings, with the ability to adjust them as they wear, as they do now, but on single cylindrical ones, without the possibility of adjusting the preload.

Well, as the reader understands, the axle shafts were not taken out by definition, in the event of a breakdown of one of them, it was necessary to remove and completely disassemble the entire bridge. And the hubs “boiled” on their conical-key landing without a special puller, or heating by gas welding, for a “time”, cannot be removed. This is not for you a semi-axle of a fully unloaded type, like the ZIS-5, or GAZ-51, to be taken out by simply screwing in two bolts with M 12 threads ...

But that's not all. What is the difference between fully unloaded half shafts, say, from GAZ-51 or ZIS-5, and half shafts, from a lorry, unloaded by ¾? The fact that in the first case, the hub at the end of the bridge beam has a mount independent of the axle shaft, and the breakdown of the latter does not affect the mount of the hub and wheels.

And if the driver does not have another axle shaft with him, the car is simply taken on a “tie” or on a “fork”, and for some time it acts as a trailer. And the lorry has a hub rear wheels stays in place only as long as the half shaft is intact. And in another case, friction alone in the roller bearing of the hub, from falling out along with the wheel onto the road, will not keep it. Then a “ski” was brought under the broken end of the bridge, but in the days of one and a half, not every truck was able to drag such a “plow”. Well, tractors, as you know, do not go far ...

We come to another section that highlights the miscalculations of the pro-American design embodied in the Soviet car.

Chassis GAZ-AA

At the beginning of the article there was already a mention that both pendants of a lorry were not a gift for our transport workers. The front suspension GAZ-AA, and others like it, included a single transverse spring, and the so-called spacer fork - two jet rods that converged V - figuratively, from both ends of the front axle beam, to the hinge of their fastening in the middle part of the frame.

These reactive thrusts prevented the beam ends from moving back and forth in the longitudinal axis of the machine. And the semi-elliptical spring, rigidly fixed with a “hump” up its middle in the front of the car, and hinged to the ends of the front axle beam, did not allow the latter to move left or right.

But, as any person understands, such a suspension in plan was not a very rigid triangle, in fact, with two (!) Attachment points in the longitudinal axis of the machine.

If one of the longitudinal springs breaks in the trucks we are used to, then the car, getting a roll on one side, does not lose the ability to continue moving. In addition, a smart driver can still build a strut between the frame spar and the bridge beam to even out the roll. But what to do with a single broken transverse spring, and in a situation where the front axle beam starts to "walk" even more to the left - to the right?

The rear suspensions of GAZ-AA and GAZ-MM cars are made on two longitudinal cantilever-type springs. The spring packs of such suspensions, "hump" up, on the swing axles are attached to the frame, as in the balancing suspensions of three-axle machines. The front ends of such packages, with the help of earrings, are also hingedly attached to the frame spars. And a rear beam is attached to the rear cantilever, and downward ends of the springs. This bridge also has jet thrust.

What do we see? The fact that the rear shoulders of the springs have a deliberately larger range of bending angles than the front ones - the springs perceive an uneven load along their entire length. What do we know from history? That which at reversing, with accidental but strong blows by the rear wheel against an obstacle (a stump from a tree, falling into a pit), the suspension “turned out”, the springs broke, and the jet thrusts bent. Why be surprised? The springs and jet thrust actually received a hit "on the end", which they were not designed for. For more or less smooth work in tension - compression, and axial impact - are far from the same thing. It is no coincidence that on the GAZ-51 cars, which came out on the same (if not worse immediately after the war), roads, there were no such decisions. Neither front nor rear suspension.

In the photo we see a stuck lorry, in a harmless, in general, situation - the wheels did not fall into the pit, the beams of the bridges did not burrow into the ground.

Lorry with a tarnished reputation

Having carefully considered the situation, with a high degree of probability it can be assumed that the car "sat down" on the jet thrust of the front or rear suspension, or caught on the hinge of the spacer fork front axle. Otherwise, why would you try to put supports under the front, non-driving wheels? And if it was only a matter of sliding the rear wheels, why not just try to rock the truck back and forth “from the pusher”? However, if the first assumption is still true, then the second one can immediately be made - if this “lawn” had four normal longitudinal springs, like the peer of the ZIS-5, or the successor of the GAZ-51, such situations might not exist in principle …

By the way, there are cases that lorries, forced, or when the case turned up, were converted to the “fifty-first” move. With the installation of post-war spring suspensions, and with the "rolling up" of new bridges.

The author of these lines, in 1997, was personally involved in the repair of such a truck. It was the car of the military-patriotic search group "Crew" (headed by S.N. Tsvetkov, died in 2001). She, already redone, (with a motor and a GAZ-51 gearbox), was found by the "Tsvetkovtsy" in one of the ruined farms in Russian hinterland. And now, probably, this car is in the museum of equipment of Vadim Zadorozhny, (village of Ilyinskoye, Krasnogorsk district, Moscow region). And if any of the readers sees it there, they can be sure, at least by the 6-pin wheel mount - one and a half "a la GAZ-51", existed.

A photo of another similar machine is on the Internet. We see the wheels from the GAZ-51, which cannot be installed on the hubs of the lorry axles.

And the magnification of the image clearly shows that the rear axle from the GAZ-51 is also installed. It is given out by a "cylindrical" hub with a half-axle flange of a fully unloaded type. In addition, an attentive and knowledgeable reader will also notice a package of post-war springs, “steps” down.

But why would all this if GAZ-MM cars were produced until the mid-50s, and there were enough original spare parts for less labor costs in comparison with re-equipment during ordinary repairs? After all, making such changes to a state or collective farm truck is not at all like putting a motor or rear axle from the Volga on a personal Pobeda ...

On GAZ-AA and GAZ-MM cars, the same wheels were installed with tire sizes of 6.50 x 20 inches, and with five-window disks. The reader, having carefully examined the wheels in the photo on the intro to the material, can agree with us that wheel disks trucks, due to such window sizes, could be structurally weakened. This can be directly or indirectly evidenced by such a fact.

Divisional, 76 mm. the ZIS-3 cannon, which went through the whole war on tires and 5 studded front hubs from the GAZ-AA truck, had its own, 2-window rims. So the question is asked: was it worth changing the production technology rims in fact, from a lorry, with almost the same load falling on these parts? At the ZIS-3 gun, its total weight, (1200 kg), was distributed over two single wheels. And for a loaded lorry, the total weight on the rear axle (2485 kg.) Was distributed over two double slopes.

There is enough photographic evidence on the Web that light and openwork rims of one and a half sometimes went to the dustbin of history. And instead of them, 2-window disks were used from the same ZIS-3 guns, or mobile compressor stations of the PKS-5 type.

By the way, if the reader is not in the know, then the first GAZ-51 cars, until the beginning of the 50s, had 2-window rims from the ZIS-5, although the designers, of course, already knew 6-window rims from.

Truly, according to the saying, "Burned with milk, they blow on the water."

What other evidence is needed that the “hodovka” of one and a half, despite all their military and labor merits before the party and the state, was “Third grade - not a marriage”?

We believe that an objective reader will agree with us: when considering the designs of even well-known and well-deserved front-line machines, one must be able to see all of them (if any), shortcomings and miscalculations. And not to “cover” them with bullet and shrapnel holes in the wings and cockpits.

By the way, according to some information we have, among the front-line drivers who drove domestic cars, there was an opinion. In a critical combat situation, those who rode the ZIS-5, and not on the "lawn", were more likely to survive. And on the front-line "plowed" roads, the reliability of the chassis was no less important than the reliability of the engines ...

Therefore, when you read on the net, in the writings of other authors of student age, that lorries “were strong and enduring”, such pearls cannot cause anything but a sad smile (an option - a malicious smirk). These people do not understand anything about what they undertook to discuss publicly. And in the best case for them, they confuse the outwardly similar Gorky lorry and the Moscow three-ton truck, endowing the first truck with the declared advantages of the second car.

Control mechanisms GAZ-AA and GAZ-MM

The steering mechanisms of the GAZ-AA and GAZ-MM cars were a pair of "worm and sector with two teeth". Steering gear ratio, 16.6 - typically "passenger".

The steering gears of the pre-war GAZ-M1 and the first Pobeda had the same relationship. In fairness, it should be noted that due to its weight distribution, the weight on the front axle of the lorry was always less than that of the Pobeda.

So, with its own weight, the front wheels of the compared cars accounted for: 730 kg for a truck, and 740 kg for a passenger car. At full load, the same compared parameters were 835 and 880 kg, respectively. But at Pobeda, since 1950, the gearbox has been increased to a ratio of 18.2.

The brake systems of one and a half, like all domestic pre-war vehicles, are with a mechanical lever-cable drive.

In the working brake systems of GAZ-AA and GAZ-MM cars, the same sizes of pads and drums were used for the front and rear wheels. Interchangeability "in a circle" is an absolute blessing, but only when it does not contradict elementary logic and common sense.

It should be obvious to everyone that in a two-axle truck with twin rear wheels, the rear brakes should be more efficient. The load on the rear axle is always higher, and the rear dual ramps, in terms of their total weight and the total area of contact with the road, are always more resistant to stopping them.

On the post-war “lawns”, starting with the GAZ-51 cars, when technological, production and financial opportunities for “variations on a theme” appeared, the rear brake mechanisms, in comparison with the front ones, were significantly strengthened. So, at the front wheels, the diameter of the brake drums was 355 mm, the width of the pads was 60 mm, and the diameter of the working cylinders was 35 mm. For the back of the GAZ-51 wheels, the same dimensions were 380, 80, and 38 mm, respectively. And what were the Americans thinking about, installing on the front and rear axles of their Ford-AA trucks the same drums, with a diameter of 355 mm, and the same pads, with a width of 63 mm?

Tape drum mechanisms for parking braking in lorries acted on the rear wheels.

History has left us no record of how effective or trouble-free they were. However, taking into account everything that has been said about the dimensions of the rear brake pads, it can hardly be doubted that the “handbrake” was an additional and original rear brake booster, both during operation and during emergency braking. Otherwise, the axiom that the brakes of the lorry left much to be desired could not but be confirmed. That is why the drivers of these cars, perhaps, were the most disciplined and accurate on the roads - life obliged ...

Electrical equipment of the car GAZ-AA

six volt GAZ-AA equipment, with "plus to ground" polarity was typical for the time. Consumers were powered by a 3ST-80 battery, with a capacity of 80 Ah, or a GBF-4105 generator, with a return of 13A, and a power of 80 watts. It remained the same for all GAZ-MM cars.

For comparison, we point out that a GAZ-M1 passenger car, in fact, with the same engine, immediately received a GM-71 generator, with a return of 18 A and a power of 100 watts. It would seem that everything is quite clear - the bureaucratic “emka” has four more consumers: the second sound signal, the second, rear right lamp, the interior lighting cover, and even the “cigarette lighter” (cigarette lighter, in the terminology of those years).

But what fundamentally prevented giving both lorries a more powerful generator and a larger battery for more reliable engine starts in the cold? After all, trucks, as you know, belong to the category of means of production ...

But inertial type starters, MAF-4006 models, power. 0.9 HP on all pre-war GAZ cars, they were still the same.

As mentioned above, the 4-cylinder pre-war engines of GAZ cars had three types of ignition distributors, and of course, they were completely interchangeable for installation on engines.

On GAZ-AA, the IGC-4003 unit was used, with a lamellar (using contact tires) distribution of pulses high voltage by candlelight. It had only manual remote ignition timing.

Almost the same outwardly device IM-91, which received a centrifugal ignition timing device, was installed on the engines of passenger cars "emok"

And finally, the GAZ-64 and GAZ-67 jeeps received the R-15 and R-30 units, not only with automatic ignition timing, but, unlike the "emok", with easily removable distributor caps, and a plug-in connection familiar today, "soft" high voltage wires.

Let the reader not be surprised or puzzled by the completely unsystematic, not dependent on reality, alphanumeric designations of units and devices of pre-war automotive electrical equipment. Perhaps, according to the standards of that time, not the first letters of the functional purpose of the products were encrypted in them, but the names and surnames of the designers specific products. In any case, we, alas, cannot give an intelligible explanation for such a "nonsense" ...

And what did the lorries have, at least the GAZ-MM of the post-war assembly? And all the same “Option No. 1” as GAZ-AA, from the beginning of the 30s ... Summarizing all of the above that the “lawns” at the plant were completed according to the “leftover principle”, one gets the impression that they are in the production program GAZ were, in fact, outcast machines. Although this, automatically, could be attributed to their drivers. And the priority was "personal cars" for officials, and promising models.

As the reader understood, classic battery ignition systems were used on lorries, although in the 30s there were also ignition systems from magneto - autonomous high-voltage pulse generators. The domestic industry produced magnetos of the SS-4 and SS-6 types, respectively, for 4- and 6-cylinder engines. But none of the sources of information at our disposal of those years confirms that magnetos were also used on the motors of ordinary onboard lorries.

The head lighting systems of the pre-war Gorky trucks were more advanced than those of their peers, the Moscow three-ton trucks. Even then they had a "near" and "far" light (for ZIS cars - the only mode), and a separate switch only for lighting (for Moscow cars - a general switch for all circuits). At one and a half, the low beam had a lamp power of 21 candles (21 watts), and the far beam had 32 candles. The aforementioned "cargo" generators did not allow more then.

Unified with other trucks, the only round rear light had two sections. The side light section was covered with the usual red glass, and the “stop” signal section was covered with yellow. However, according to the standards of that time, the power of the “stop” signal lamps was 15 St.

On the electrical diagram, the reader can see the gasoline level indicator. But this pointer was mechanical, connected to a float in the tank, located behind the "torpedo". It's just that the location of the pointer scale was chosen taking into account the window for it in the general instrument cluster. This combination also included an ammeter and a coil speedometer. The coil of the speedometer, with the applied numbers of the speed, rotated relative to the fixed risk on the glass of the device.

Cabin and body GAZ-AA and GAZ-MM

Closed from wind, snow and rain, the 2-seater cab of the GAZ-AA and GAZ-MM did not provide any special amenities to the drivers. Unless, by raising the windshield on hinges, it was possible to arrange a “blowing” from below, against fogging from the breath of sitting people. But in winter it was not an option ...

The design of the driver's seat, at the lorry, and the passenger car GAZ-A, practically did not differ. In that era when "personal cars", unlike trucks, did not offer any other options to drivers, there was no reason to create other dashboards. Controls - standard pedals and gearshift lever, ignition timing levers and fuel supply valve, ignition key, manual light switch and starter foot button. And the switch of the only left wiper with a vacuum drive was located on the body of this device ..

The body is a typical cargo platform, for pre-war vehicles with three folding sides.

“What you were, you remained like that ...” - these words of the song from the film “Kuban Cossacks”, (1952), can rightfully be attributed to the pre-war “lawn”, which continued to be produced, as already mentioned, after the Victory. Unlike the post-war UralZIS three-tons, the Ulyanovsk-assembled lorries received neither replaceable crankshaft liners, nor lighter steering, nor hydraulic brakes, nor new instruments ...

However, all this is already beyond the scope of the originally stated topic.

It is no coincidence that I say "shortly". The history of the truck is known to many and, frankly, is typical of many Soviet cars.

In 1926, American businessman Henry Ford decided that the United States needed new truck and he can make good money from it. Therefore, in 1929, Ford-AA began to travel along the roads of that country. O technical side we’ll talk about the truck a little later, for now we just note that in 1930 this car appeared in the Soviet Union. The Soviet side purchased 72,000 car kits, a license for production and - just walking - a plant for the production of these machines. By 1932, the plant in Nizhny Novgorod was launched, and the production of our GAZ-AA began. "Lorry" is a little different from Ford: in addition to enhanced grip and some other changes, the truck got air filter, which, for some very American reasons, was absent from Ford. However, outwardly it was still the same "American". And yet, a connoisseur can easily distinguish a real gas “one and a half” from a Western ancestor, although less sophisticated motorists will not see these differences. But we were lucky: the copy that is in front of us today is the most GAZ, and the quality of the restoration can only cause admiration. Well, let's take our hats off to the restorers and take a closer look at the car.

Shine and poverty of the "one and a half"

In order to avoid throwing stones at the author, we note that over the entire period of its production, the GAZ-AA has changed more often than Michael Jackson over the last twenty years of his life, so the remarks that “the “lorry” actually has wooden doors, and the headlight housings are black, not chrome" are not accepted. Our copy is the most complete, even, if you like, rich version of the execution. There were, of course, simpler ones, especially during the war. The essence of this does not change, "one and a half" - it is a "one and a half". Only our copy is also beautiful - again, because of its "luxury" performance.

The first thing that catches the eye of a modern car enthusiast is the wide wings that turn into the door steps. Exactly the same stood on the passenger GAZ-A. Thanks to them, the cabin looks wide, although in reality there is very little space in it. But from the outside it looks very good, elegant and a little light. Let's open the sides of the hood and see what's inside.

Initially, the GAZ-AA had a 40 hp engine. The compression ratio is impressive - 4.25. On our car there is a later GAZ-MM engine - almost the same one was installed on the passenger "emka", GAZ-M1. Strictly speaking, we have before us not GAZ-AA, but GAZ-MM. However, all the difference between them is in the motor, which has become 10 “mares” more powerful (50 hp). This power unit is known for its monstrous unpretentiousness, and if something could kill it, then only the extremely low qualifications of drivers and maintenance personnel of that time. However, there are pluses: during the war, there are cases when, after the failure of the babbit liners, they were quite successfully replaced by a piece of a leather officer's belt. With such "liners" the car could drive some more distance to the place of a better repair. The absence of high-voltage wires on the candles is noteworthy - instead of them there are narrow metal plates. All this in order not to forget that "daddy" Ford is a cheap car, and expensive wires do not suit her.

We have already said that the Ford did not have an air filter. It is on GAZ-AA, but this does not mean at all that it was on all GAZs - sometimes it was not put here either. By the way, sometimes a lot of things were not put on this car, both before the war and during it. The main thing was to drive the volume, so they put what was available. Well, if there was nothing, then they didn’t put anything, so there are cars without air filters(which, to be honest, did not drive for a long time), with one headlight, without power windows or other spare parts that do not affect the main functionality in any way.

Contrary to popular belief, the absence of some spare parts does not mean that the car must be in military modification. This is just an occasion to remember that the main thing was the implementation of the plan for the production of trucks. Military GAZ-AA differed, first of all, in rectangular welded fenders, the absence of gable rear wheels (there was one wheel at the back) and one headlight instead of two. Another unfortunate consequence of the release of a huge volume of products was the disgusting build quality of the car. It's good that the design often made it possible to forgive many flaws in the assembly, so not even in the best way. assembled machines were still able to drive.

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The car doesn't have a fuel pump. The fuel tank is located where the usual cars for us should have a dashboard: in front of the faces of the driver and passenger, with a neck in front of the windshield. Gasoline from it flows by gravity into the carburetor with an upward flow, the design of which does not allow excess fuel to enter the cylinders, and from there to the crankcase. The domestic K-14 carburetor is one of the differences between GAZ and Ford, where the American Zenith was installed. By the way, about fuel. In GAZ-AA, you can pour gasoline, and in hot weather - and kerosene: it will go, and nothing will happen to it. But high-octane gasoline "one and a half" will not eat. More precisely, it will cause "heartburn": it burns longer, burns out where it should no longer burn, so it cannot be filled in any way. Changing the shape of the combustion chamber to use at least the 80th gasoline would lead to an undesirable departure from the original, so another solution was found: the use of a mixture of gasoline with aviation kerosene. The car drives on such a cocktail, and how!

Another sign by which the “one and a half” can be distinguished from the “American” alien to our spirit is the relay-regulator. Ours is rectangular, Ford's is round. If you choose a GAZ-AA for yourself, pay attention to this so that they don’t slip a Ford on you.

Six-volt electrical equipment, with a mass on the "plus" - then it was the norm. But what deserves attention is the generator. He, of course, produces D.C.. And if the relay regulates the voltage, then the driver had to change the current strength manually. To do this, there was a third brush in the generator, which, after removing the cover, had to be moved each time, depending on the number of consumers turned on. Of course, few people had the desire to monitor this factor, so usually the current was set to the maximum once and for all. Hence - the frequent boiling of the electrolyte in the battery and the periodic failure of electrical equipment. Keeping track of the battery is also not too much fun, given that it is hidden under the bottom of the cabin, and only a qualified gynecologist can easily get to it. When you read on the Internet that weak point it was the same equipment - do not believe it too much. Almost everything was in order with him, in contrast to (I repeat now, for the life of me!) the technical literacy of the drivers.

Separate words deserve the brakes. But such words cannot be voiced here, it is illegal. I will say this: there are really no brakes. And this is taking into account the fact that on our car they are on each wheel, and there are modifications where they are only at the back. On military vehicles, for example, they were never on the front axle at all. Yes, and on those where they were, the front brake mechanisms were often removed: their mechanical drive did not differ in reliability, but there was little sense from them. Fortunately, the speeds were low then, and 20-30 km / h, rarely 40 (although according to the passport - all 70!), Allowed to somehow stop. The assistant who sat next to the driver could help out: if he wanted to live, he would grab a healthy lever hand brake and pulled over. In this case, GAZ-AA stopped a little faster. The drive of the brakes of the rear wheels is also very peculiar: under load, the traction began to spread the pads, regardless of the desire of the driver, which did not add any agility to the car. Again, the same assistant who was sent under the car to turn the adjustment of the length of the rods helped.

And now a few words in defense of the system. The fact is that our people could not afford to load only one and a half tons into a one and a half ton truck. It’s not in Russian somehow, so the “polundra” usually drove with an overload, which could not but affect both the effectiveness of the brakes and the condition of the frame, which is also often criticized for insufficient strength. In vain they scold. First of all, you don't need to load so much. And secondly, the “one and a half” frame is a much more interesting design than it seems at first glance. And the dog is buried here not somewhere, but in the transmission.

There is such a foreign phrase - torque tube. In Russian - "pipe of the cardan shaft." If it’s completely in Russian, then this is a system in which the cardan is placed in a closed pipe, which is a longitudinal thrust. Torque pushed the car into the frame through this mechanism. The design is controversial, but it was like that, and there is no getting away from it. For this reason, it is impossible to put a conventional cardan shaft on the “one and a half”: without a pipe, the force breaks the rear semi-elliptical springs. The push tube scheme was typical of many american cars that time. Thus, the frame also performed the functions of a spring as a suspension element. Hence the seeming excessive softness of the chassis, which became a good reason to accuse her of unreliability. If you overload, then you can break the BelAZ, and the frame has nothing to do with it. And by the way, the GAZ-AA has one front spring, and it is transverse.

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Behind the wheel of a "one and a half"

It's time to get behind the wheel. Oh, I do not envy the drivers of this car! There is less space for the driver and passenger than you might imagine. I thought for a long time where to attach the left leg. Did not invent.

But for the right foot, next to the microscopic button of the "pedal" of the gas, there is even a small platform. How convenient to put a foot on it, I did not understand, but it is.

The instrument cluster is not so stunning in its beauty as in the originality of the solution. The fuel gauge is an ordinary float (the gas tank, as we have already said, by and large is this very dashboard). A speedometer with a fixed needle, but a rotating drum, marked in kilometers per hour. Why am I talking about kilometers? Because it is the only metric value in this car. All other sizes are in inches.

A peculiar impression is made by the view from the cockpit. It seems that the edge of the hood is visible, and the edges of the wings, but still it’s hard to feel the dimensions. Apparently, the point is the excessively wide plumage of the cockpit. The rear-view mirror (there is only one) helps to experience the feelings of Stevie Wonder at a concert: you know that there is something around that makes your heart flutter, but you don’t see what exactly. On the gear lever there is a small “dog” that prevents involuntary reverse gear engagement. How it can be turned on by accident - I do not understand. But Americans are Americans for that, to come up with such a trick. Under the steering wheel there is an ignition advance lever: there is no centrifugal mechanism in the distributor.

The starter pedal is located a little inconveniently, the foot must be brought behind the steering column, but the gas pedal is under the heel. Let's go, let's go!

We touch, of course, from the second speed. It's easy - much easier than turning the steering wheel. Turning such a steering wheel is a titanic work. Maybe it would be a little easier with a larger diameter rim, but in the case of installing an enlarged steering wheel, there would be no room for the driver at all. You have to turn this one, but there is a feeling that you are turning not the car, but the ground under it. The entire planet, the entire globe. The turning radius pleases: it is small, and you can turn the truck on a patch without any undue torment.

GAZ-AA is a truck of the Nizhny Novgorod (1932), and later the automobile plant in the city of Gorky, whose carrying capacity is 1,500 kg. The model is also called "one and a half". The debut 5-year plan for improving the economy of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1928-1932) made it possible to launch a magnificent development program.

The plan provided for the construction of more than 1,500 massive facilities, including hydroelectric power plants, metallurgical plants, automobile and tractor factories. To implement all these projects, transport was needed, therefore, there was a difficult strategic task - to organize a full-scale production of trucks. Whole the lineup GAS.

By the end of the 1920s, only a couple of automobile enterprises serially produced cargo series vehicles in the Union: the First State Automobile Plant in Moscow (formerly AMO), as well as the Third State Automobile Plant in Yaroslavl. But their speeds were not enough, since all two plants were created on the platform of pre-revolutionary capacities.

For example, by the beginning of the first five-year plan, there were only 1,500 cars in the whole country. Therefore, no one was surprised that by the mid-1920s, the Soviet government planned to build the first automobile giant in the Union, the capacity of which would allow the production of about 100,000 vehicles per year.

When the necessary experience and technological resources were lacking, it was best to buy production abroad. And the opinions of Russian experts were focused on the overseas country, or rather, Detroit.

This settlement, located in the north of America, was for the builders of socialism an exemplary automobile giant, a city of the future, in which the settlers live and work, obeying a single and common functional plan. Just in a similar format, there were dreams to design the Russian automobile giant.

Near the workshops, they wanted to build residential quarters for workers and design the entire accompanying infrastructure. As a result of the negotiations, General Motors decided to refuse involvement in the project, so Ford remained the only variation. This option suited the USSR quite well.

The very name of Henry Ford, along with his automobile empire, was often associated with technological solutions and rationality. In addition, this company was quite well known in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, because even if not huge, but still stable purchases of Ford cars had been made since 1909.

On top of that, for the needs of our country, just the cars of the new Ford base, which in 1927-1928 replaced the previous generation “T”, were best suited. The Ford-A passenger car and the Ford-AA lorry were simple, unpretentious, inexpensive and, what is very important, they were well unified in terms of design.

According to the technical agreement, the USSR signed an agreement with Ford on May 31, 1929. Build car city planned not far from Nizhny Novgorod, near the village of Monastyrka, where there was a confluence of navigable rivers (Oka and Volga). The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics signed an agreement for the construction of the enterprise, together with a camp for those working on it, with the Austin Company in Cleveland.

The USSR began to cooperate with the well-known American company Ford. As a result, a one and a half ton GAZ-AA truck, which was similar to an American, saw the light.

In addition to the construction of the automotive giant, the agreement with Ford provided for the operational construction of a pair of car assembly plants, which will be located in Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow. They planned to assemble Ford cars from ready-made car kits, because under the contract the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics had to buy 72,000 car kits.

These assembly shops provided an opportunity to launch the production of machines even before the end of the construction of the enterprise in Nizhny Novgorod and were such factories for training production for those who worked there. In order to build and equip branches, an American company decided to attract the construction company Albert Kahn, Inc., which is already popular in Russia.

Already at the onset of 1929, it was decided to allocate a share of the area of the enterprise of vehicles for agriculture "Gudok Oktyabrya", which were located in the city of Kanavin, for the construction of the first car assembly plant. Already in the winter of the following year (1930), they began to assemble the debut Ford AA trucks from America's car kits.

By the end of the same year, passenger cars, along with Ford trucks, began to be produced from the primary conveyor of an automobile enterprise in Moscow. But Nizhny Novgorod's desires for an automobile city began to melt little by little.

In part, this was due to the small project budget, as well as due to the labor enthusiasm of the manufacturers, which in an interesting way was able to harmonize with the carelessness and reticence of the decisions and work of many management bodies.

The largest automobile enterprise in European countries was built at the right time, but the result turned out to be far from the “airy” dreams of an industrial town of the future. The new building near Monastyrka was popularly called the Sotsgorod, and after 2 years it acquired the official status of the Avtozavodsky district of Nizhny Novgorod.

While the second half of the first month of 1932 was going on, at the enterprise prepared for the launch of the design capacity, they were able to master the production of a cylinder block, along with crankshaft, frame spars and other other details. Due to the failure to achieve the constancy of deliveries of components from subcontractors (more precisely, sheet steel), the cabins of the "pre-series" began to be assembled using plywood.

On January 29 of the same year, the debut NAZ-AA cars were produced from the assembly line of the enterprise in Nizhny Novgorod. In October (7th) Nizhny Novgorod was renamed Gorky, and therefore the name of the car was changed. By the end of 1932, the production of cargo vehicles of the Gorky Automobile Plant was about 60 vehicles every day. The name of the truck became - GAZ-AA.

The GAZ AA car turned out to be reliable and hardy, and lost, perhaps, to one real rival in the USSR car market - the Moscow three-ton ZIS-5. However, the automobile enterprise in Gorky had much more production capacity than ZIS.

Therefore, just a lorry was supposed to become a "multifunctional soldier" of the national economy, and Gorky's specialists designed various "civilian" and "military" vehicles and improved the existing standard vehicles.

In order to test the weak structural points of the AA lorry gas truck, at the end of the 32nd year, trucks participated in a test run from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow and back. Six months later (in 1933) they took part in the summer extreme "Karakum" run.

The lion's share of standard breakdowns was explained by the underestimated quality of components supplied by subcontractors. While the year was 1933, automobile factories in Moscow and Gorky fully used the arsenal of car kits from America and migrated to the creation of cars from spare parts of their production.

After 3 years at the Gorky Automobile Plant, they were able to master the production of a brand new power unit GAZ-M (50 Horse power), which was a forced variant engine GAZ-A. One and a half tons began to be equipped with the last engine in 1938.

At the same time, a new one was released, synchronized with the "emka" steering gear, together with strengthening of fastening of the springs established behind. Such a modification has acquired the name GAZ-MM. The Gorky Automobile Plant assembled the last lorry on October 10, 1949.

The Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant, which assembled MM from the 47th, stopped assembling these models only by the 51st year. From 1932, before the start of hostilities, the KIM enterprise, together with a car assembly plant in Rostov-on-Don, produced more than 800,000 1.5-ton AA and MM trucks. During the war, GAZ produced 102,300 cargo-type vehicles.

Specifications

power unit

For all its simple qualities, the GAZ-AA was technically quite perfect. As an engine, it had a four-cylinder engine, the working volume of which was 3.285 liters and which produced about 42 horses. It was the same power unit that was installed on a GAZ-A passenger car.

It was a four-stroke, four-stroke, water-cooled, in-line carburetor. Fuel consumption per 100 km at full load (when driving on the highway) was 18.5 liters. Max Speed at 70 km/h.

Transmission

The engine transmitted torque to the drive axle through a single-disk dry friction clutch and a four-stage mechanical box gear shifting. It appears to be a three-way mechanism and has four gears forward and one reverse. The box has not been synced. Wheel drive - rear.

Suspension

It was represented by dependent mechanisms. The front-mounted wheels were suspended on a single transversely mounted semi-elliptical spring, where there were push rods that could transfer the load to the frame.

The rear-mounted wheels were mounted on a pair of longitudinal cantilever springs and were devoid of any shock absorbers. As design features there was a rear suspension mechanism along with a transmission, where a cardan shaft was used as a longitudinal thrust, which abutted against a bronze bushing.

Brake system

The service brake had a mechanical drive. The brakes were foot-type with shoe mechanisms. All wheels had drum brakes.

Steering

The steering mechanism had a worm and a double roller, and ratio – 16.6.

Specifications

Engine	gasoline carburetor 4-stroke lower valve
Number of cylinders	4
Working volume	3285 cm³
Max. power	40/2200 hp/rpm
Max. torque	15.5 (152) kgf*m (Nm)
Drive unit	rear
Transmission	mechanical, 4-speed, not synchronized
Front suspension	dependent, on a transverse semi-elliptical spring with push rods
Rear suspension	dependent, on two longitudinal cantilever springs, without shock absorbers
Brakes front/rear	drum
Max Speed	70 km/h.
Length	5335 mm.
Width	2040 mm.
Height	1970 mm.
Wheelbase	3340 mm.
Ground clearance	200 mm.
Curb weight	1810 kg.
Tires	6.50-20
load capacity	1500 kg.
Fuel consumption	mixed cycle 20.5
Fuel tank capacity	40 l.

electrical equipment

Six-volt equipment GAZ-AA, with polarity "plus to ground" was typical for that time. Consumers were powered by a 3ST-80 battery, with a capacity of 80 Ah, or a GBF-4105 generator, with a return of 13A, and a power of 80 watts. It remained the same for all GAZ-MM cars.

But inertial type starters, MAF-4006 models, power. 0.9 HP on all pre-war GAZ cars, they were still the same.

As mentioned above, the 4-cylinder pre-war engines of GAZ cars had three types of ignition distributors, and of course, they were completely interchangeable for installation on engines.

On GAZ-AA, the IGC-4003 unit was used, with a lamellar (using contact tires) distribution of high voltage pulses over candles. It had only manual remote ignition timing.

Almost the same outwardly device IM-91, which received a centrifugal ignition timing device, was installed on the engines of passenger cars "emok"

And finally, the GAZ-64 and GAZ-67 jeeps received the R-15 and R-30 units, not only with automatic ignition timing, but, unlike the "emok", with easily removable distributor caps, and plug-in connections familiar today, "soft" high-voltage wires.

As the reader understood, classic battery ignition systems were used on lorries, although in the 30s there were also ignition systems from magneto-autonomous high-voltage pulse generators. The domestic industry produced magnetos of the SS-4 and SS-6 types, respectively, for 4- and 6-cylinder engines. But none of the sources of information at our disposal of those years confirms that magnetos were also used on the motors of ordinary onboard lorries.

Appearance

From the autumn of the 40th, a powerful towing device began to be placed on it, along with fittings for attaching a spare wheel of a different mechanism. The material of the car was changed as soon as the Great Patriotic War began. If we talk about metal, then they began to save it, therefore, the front part eventually lost all the details that were not considered urgently needed.

The wings, which were angular, began to be bent from roofing iron, and the roof, along with the doors, was made using tarpaulin. Faro, together with the janitor, was decided to be installed only on the driver's side, and the front brakes, along with the muffler and bumper, were not installed at all.

Starting in 1943, the canvas flaps on the side of the cab were replaced with wide wooden doors. A simplified modification of the GAZ-MM continued to be produced even after the end of hostilities, but the cars received full-fledged metal doors, silencers, front brakes, a bumper and a pair of headlights.

The tarpaulin of the rear wall of the cab had a rectangular window. It is clearly visible in the photo. GAZ-AA was a fairly simple, but successful and technologically advanced truck that was not picky and could not run on the highest quality fuel.

The front of the "Lawn" was quite simple. There was a simple bumper, a pair of headlights and a large rectangular grille. Two front lighting lamps were attached to the wheel fenders and the front hood. An audible signal was installed under one of the lamps.

The hood covers opened like gull wings, providing a convenient free space for repairing the power unit. Nearby was a fuel tank designed for 40 liters. Spare wheel was located under the frame on the rear of the chassis. The side part was occupied by a door with smooth wheel wings and a comfortable footboard.

Also, the wooden body smoothly moved from the side to the rear. The side and rear sides were folding. Also on the back vehicle, on the left side, back lighting could be found.

Pros and cons

Machine advantages

High-quality and reliable body metal;
Good ride height;
Excellent cross-country ability of the car;
Small dimensions of the truck;
There is a windshield wiper (on the driver's side);
Unpretentiousness in fuel;
Understandable service;
Ford's American Roots;
The windshield extends;
You can transport trailers.

Cons of the car

There are no hydraulic boosters of the steering wheel and the braking system of the car;
There are no steering wheel and sofa adjustments;
Ascetic view of the interior;
Weak power unit;
Simple and cold cabin;
Dependent suspension;
High fuel consumption;
Small transportable weight;
Lack of any comfort.

End of issue

The production of Gaz-AA at the Gorky Automobile Plant ended in 1949, but the car continued to be produced at UlZis until 1950, and according to some sources, until 1956. The Gaz-51 truck came to replace the "Lorry".

The last assembled car GAZ-51 in the GAZ Museum.

VT-10-17-FO

1929 Ford Model AA Stakeside

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Reliability

Convenience and comfort

maintainability

GAZ-AA: FROM DUMP TRUCK TO BUS. The family of cars GAZ-AA - GAZ-MM. The need for a mass one and a half ton car arose in the Soviet Union in the late 1920s - new factories, canals, roads and power plants were built in the country, and it was simply unthinkable to do this without simple, reliable and maintainable cars. Nizhny Novgorod was chosen as the site for the construction of the giant automobile plant, which had qualified personnel, a developed transport network, and a powerful metalworking industry.

The preliminary design of the enterprise was ordered by the American firm Ford Motor Company, where on May 31, 1929 the Soviet government commission went. Soon an agreement was concluded with the Americans, according to which the administration of the Ford Motor Company undertook to provide Soviet Union technical assistance in the construction of an automobile plant, the organization of the production of trucks and cars, as well as in the training of Soviet specialists and trainees at American automobile plants in the amount of up to 50 people annually.

The prototypes of cars for their production at the new car factory were american cars- truck Ford-AA and passenger car Ford-A.

Serial production of one and a half ton trucks NAZ-AA began at the Nizhny Novgorod Automobile Plant on January 29, 1932. True, at the end of the same year, both the city and the car plant, and the cars produced on it, were renamed - the city was named Gorky, the enterprise - the Gorky Automobile Plant, and the passenger and truck cars - GAZ-A and GAZ-AA. The first lorries were made according to Ford's drawings, however, taking into account Russian realities, the overseas car had to be equipped with a reinforced clutch housing, a new steering gear, an air filter, and a wooden side body designed at GAZ.

At first, trucks were assembled using Ford components, and since 1933, all GAZ-AAs began to leave the factory gates, fully equipped with domestic parts, mechanisms and assemblies.

1 ignition lock; 2 - fuel gauge; 3 ammeter; 4 - button for adjusting the composition of the fuel mixture; 5 - speedometer; 6 - steering column bracket

It should be noted that for the early 1930s, the truck had a fairly perfect design. The basis of the truck was a powerful spar frame, on which the cab and body were fixed. The power unit was a 42-horsepower Gas engine working volume of 3.285 liters. The main advantage of this engine was its “omnivorousness” - it worked well not only on cheap low-octane gasoline, which we hardly heard of - A-52, but also on naphtha or kerosene.

By the way, the 40-liter fuel tank on the GAZ-AA was located above the carburetor, so gasoline entered it without a pump, by gravity.

The transmission of the car included a single-disk dry clutch and a four-speed gearbox.

The suspension of the lorry is dependent, and the front axle rested on a transverse semi-elliptical spring with push rods, and the rear axle rested on a pair of longitudinal cantilever springs without shock absorbers. The rear suspension of the car had an original design with the so-called push tube, inside of which the cardan shaft was located. The pipe rested against a bronze bushing, which, due to increased wear, required frequent repairs.

The main brake had a mechanical drive, however, due to its low efficiency, drivers preferred engine braking.

Until 1934, the truck cab was made of wood and pressed cardboard, and later a metal cab with a leatherette roof was installed on the car. In 1938, GAZ-AA was modernized - it was equipped with a 50-horsepower engine, reinforced suspension, improved steering gear, more reliable cardan shaft and, accordingly, gave a new name - GAZ-MM. True, outwardly the old and new lorries practically did not differ from one another.

The GAZ-AA electrics were distinguished by low reliability - the battery and starter had a particularly low resource, so drivers often had to start the car only with the help of the crank. The tires did not differ in reliability either - with a standard mileage of 20 thousand km, they wore out after 8-9 thousand km. The shortage of tires led to the fact that during the war, lorries with single rear wheels sometimes left the factory conveyor.

In 1934, mass production of the GAZ-AAA, a three-axle version of a lorry, was launched. This machine was created under the guidance of the leading designer of the plant V.A. Grachev. In total, 37,373 three-axle vehicles were produced at GAZ.

The lorry served as a good base for creating a wide variety of modifications. So, at the GAZ branch, the Gorky Bus Plant, in the period from 1933 to 1950, 17-seater GAZ-03-30 buses were assembled, which were the most common in the USSR before the war. The body of this bus had a wooden frame and metal lining. In addition to the "civilian", on the basis of GAZ-AA they produced a staff bus for the needs of the Red Army, and on the basis of a three-axle lorry GAZ-AAA - an army ambulance bus.

In 1936, the production of the GAZ-410 dump truck with a carrying capacity of 1.2 tons was organized at the Gorky Automobile Plant. The body tipping mechanism had an original, a kind of "gravitational" drive, in which the gravity of the load worked. The body was equipped with a locking device, the handle of which was located at the left side of the dump truck. To unload the car, the driver shifted the handle, the body tilted and the load fell back. The empty body, under the influence of gravity, returned to its original position and was again fixed by a locking device.

In the late 1930s, GAZ created the GAZ-42 gas-generating vehicle, the GAZ-44 gas-cylinder vehicle, and the GAZ-60 half-track vehicle. On the basis of GAZ-AA and GAZ-MM, tanker trucks, vans, as well as AS-2 autostarters designed to start aircraft engines were produced.

A lot of cars of the Gorky Automobile Plant were called up for service in the Red Army - lorries made up more than half of the army fleet. Most of them were intended for the transportation of troops, for which they used cars with an onboard body equipped with removable benches, which housed 16 fighters.

During the war, on the GAZ-MM chassis, army ambulances GAZ-55, GAZ-05-193 staff buses, radar stations, searchlights, sound detectors and field workshops, and 3850 GAZ-AA and GAZ-MM trucks were equipped with anti-aircraft guns and quad anti-aircraft machine guns.

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the cars of the Gorky Automobile Plant had to be significantly simplified, which was explained by the lack of metal and the desire to shorten the production cycle for the production of cars. So, one and a half were equipped only rear brakes, they lost front bumper and the right headlight, and instead of rounded stamped front fenders, GAZ-AA had L-shaped wings bent from roofing iron. In addition, only the tailgate opened at the body, and in 1942, instead of a steel cabin, they began to make a simplified one, with canvas tops and canopies instead of doors. In 1943, the cars were equipped with closed wooden cabins with canvas roofs.

On the basis of two-axle and three-axle one and a half, the designers of the plant developed a lot of armored vehicles. So, from 1936 to 1938, 394 armored vehicles BA-6 were produced at GAZ, in the period from 1938 to 1941 - 3331 armored vehicles of the BA-10A and BA-10M types, and at the end of the 1930s, armored hulls were installed on the shortened GAZ-AAA chassis previously produced and expired armored vehicles. In addition, the designers created prototypes of the BA-9 armored car, as well as the PB-4 and PB-7 amphibious armored vehicles.

During the war years, GAZ produced 102,300 vehicles of various types and modifications. And in December 1945, the plant launched mass production of new trucks - GAZ-51 and GAZ-6Z. The assembly of the last GAZ-MM lorries was completed at GAZ in October 1949, and a year later at the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant.