GAZ-53

Last updated

GAZ-53
Red GAZ-53.jpg
GAZ-53
Overview
Manufacturer GAZ
Also called
  • GAZ-52
Production1961–1993
Body and chassis
Class Truck
Body style 2-door standard cab
4-door double cab (fire engines only)
Layout Front engine layout
Powertrain
Engine
  • 3.5L GAZ-51 I6 (1961-1964, after that only on GAZ-52 variant)
  • 4.3L ZMZ-53 V8 (1964-1993)
Transmission 4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase 3,700 mm (145.7 in)
Length6,395 mm (251.8 in)
Width2,379 mm (93.7 in)
Height2,190–2,219 mm (86.2–87.4 in)
Curb weight 2,989–3,260 kg (6,590–7,187 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor GAZ-51
Successor GAZ-3307

The GAZ-53 is a 3.5 tonne 4x2 truck produced by GAZ between 1961 and 1993. Introduced first as GAZ-53F, it was joined by the virtually identical 2.5-ton GAZ-52 in 1962, which was produced until 1989.

Contents

The GAZ-52 and GAZ-53 trucks are distinguished by different lighting systems, wheel rims and tonnage (payload): the GAZ-52 was able to carry up to 2.5 tonnes of cargo, whereas the GAZ-53A could carry up to 4 tonnes. From 1961 to 1975 the new truck range was produced along with its predecessor, the GAZ-51.

Given the long production run of GAZ-52/53 and their variants, the series is a common sight in Eastern Europe. They should not be mistaken for the broadly similar 5-6 ton ZIL-130, which is also usually painted light blue with a white grille. The GAZ grille is fluted vertically, and the direction indicators are typically located above the headlamps, with the exception of the introductory GAZ-53F. The ZIL has a horizontally slated grille and its flashers are located below the headlamps.

History

Interior Steering wheel of a GAZ-52 GAZ-53 truck.JPG
Interior

The main (or basic) variant of GAZ-53 with no suffix letter was released in 1964. It featured the brand-new 4254 cc light-alloy V8 ZMZ-53 engine, which was a modified version of the one used in the GAZ-13 Chaika, with a reduced compression ratio and smaller 2 barrel carburetor. [1] The ZMZ-53 produces 120 hp SAE Gross at 3200 rpm, giving the GAZ-53 a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph). With the exception of the new cab, V8 engine, and brakes, most other parts of the GAZ-53 and GAZ-52 were taken from the old GAZ-51 truck. These are the chassis, which was extended and reinforced on the GAZ-53, the transmission and axles, alongside some others.

Early versions, called GAZ-53F, were powered by an old 75-hp (SAE Gross) six-cylinder engine from the GAZ-51 truck; but since 1964, the GAZ-53 was equipped with a 4.3L ZMZ-53 V8 engine. Payload was increased to 4 tons in the 1965 model, called GAZ-53A. The GAZ-53A was built until January 1983, when the GAZ-53-12 took over until production ended. [2] All variants use a four-speed gearbox, synchronized on third and fourth. A number of other sub-versions were also introduced, including the military version GAZ-53A-016.

In total, over 4 million GAZ-53 were built, making it the most produced truck of the Soviet Union. [2]

Bulgaria

The GAZ-53A was also license-built by KTA Madara in Shumen, Bulgaria, beginning in 1967. They were called the Madara 400 series (the "4" representing its four-tonne payload). Beginning in the 1970s, the Bulgarian-built trucks were fitted with locally built four-cylinder 3.9 liter Perkins diesel (later also turbodiesel) engines, made by the Vasil Kolarov engine plant in Varna. [2] These engines had either 80 or 100 PS (59 or 74 kW). [3] Madara built about 3,000 trucks per year throughout the 1980s, which met the needs of the local market. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sungri Motor Plant</span> Vehicle factory in Tokchon, North Korea

Sungri Motor Plant, sometimes known as Sungri Motor Complex / Sungri General Motor Enterprise, is a 600,000 m2 vehicle factory in the city of Tokchon (덕천), North Korea. It was the most capable plant of the North Korean automotive industry before being surpassed by Pyeonghwa Motors. The plant produces urban and off-road passenger cars, small, medium, and heavy cargo, as well as haulage construction and off-road trucks and buses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAZ-51</span> Motor vehicle

The GAZ-51 is a light truck manufactured by the Soviet vehicle manufacturer Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod. The vehicle was designed before the Second World War and mass-produced together with the all-wheel-drive version GAZ-63 after the end of the war. Under the designation GAZ-93, a tipper was produced on the basis of the GAZ-51.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAZ-66</span> Motor vehicle

The GAZ-66 is a Soviet and later Russian 4x4 all-road (off-road) military truck produced by GAZ. It was one of the main cargo vehicles for motorized infantry of the Soviet Army and is still employed in former Soviet Union countries. It is nicknamed shishiga (шишига), shisharik (шишарик)/shehsherik (шешерик), trueman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAZelle</span> Russian motor vehicle

The GAZelle is a series of light commercial vehicle—pickup trucks, vans and minibuses—made by Russian car manufacturer GAZ. At the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and transition to a market economy, the Russian automobile industry had not produced a much-demanded LCV similar to the Ford Transit or VW T4 class. Although based on a large and heavy dedicated van chassis, the GAZelle initially shared many mechanical parts, such as the grille and headlights with the GAZ-31029; Riga Autobus Factory, which formerly manufactured minibuses for the whole USSR, remained in Latvia, and now required its vehicles be sold to the now-foreign Russian market for hard currency. Responding to this market opportunity, GAZ swiftly developed its own LCV called GAZelle, which, taken together with its lighter version, Sobol, now account for the majority of the Russian van and light truck market and have strong positions in the markets of other CIS countries, ranking as GAZ's most popular and successful products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford F-Series (medium-duty truck)</span> Medium-duty line of trucks manufactured by Ford

The medium-duty version of the Ford F-Series is a range of commercial trucks manufactured by Ford Motor Company since 1948. Derived from the smaller F-Series pickup trucks, the medium-duty range is currently in its eighth generation. Initially slotted between the F-Series pickup trucks and the "Big Job" conventionals, later generations were slotted below the L-Series "Louisville" trucks; the last two generations are the largest vehicles produced by Ford since its exit from the heavy-truck segment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZIL-130</span> Soviet/Russian truck (1962–2012)

The ZIL-130 is a Soviet/Russian truck produced by ZIL in Moscow, Russia. The first prototype was built in 1956. Production began in 1962, while mass production started in 1964. In total, ZIL built 3,380,000 trucks up to 1994, making it one of the most numerous cargo trucks in the USSR and Russia. In 1995, production was moved to the now-defunct Ural Motor Plant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAZ-24</span> Motor vehicle

The GAZ-24 "Volga" is a car manufactured by the Gorky Automobile Plant from 1970 to 1985 as a generation of its Volga marque. A largely redesigned version – GAZ-24-10 – was produced from 1985 to 1992. The Belgian-assembled rebadged models were sold as Scaldia-Volga M24 and M24D for the Western European market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZIS-150</span> Motor vehicle

The ZIS-150 is a Soviet truck. In 1947 it replaced the ZIS-5 truck on the assembly line. Together with the GAZ-51, it was the main Soviet truck during the 1950s, judging by their quantity. A tractor-trailer version of the ZIS-150, the ZIS-120N was sold from 1956 to 1957. In 1957, the base ZIS-150 model was replaced by ZIL-164, which differed outwardly only by vertical grille bars and bumper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAZ-21</span> Motor vehicle

The GAZ M21 Volga is an automobile produced in the Soviet Union by GAZ from 1956 to 1970. The first car to carry the Volga name, it was developed in the early 1950s. Volgas were built with high ground clearance, rugged suspension, strong and forgiving engine, and rustproofing on a scale unheard of in the 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford B series</span> Motor vehicle platform

The Ford B series is a bus chassis that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. Produced across six generations from 1948 to 1998, the B series was a variant of the medium-duty Ford F series. As a cowled-chassis design, the B series was a bare chassis aft of the firewall, intended for bodywork from a second-stage manufacturer. While primarily used for school bus applications in the United States and Canada, the chassis was exported worldwide to manufacturers to construct bus bodies for various uses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAZ-3102</span> Motor vehicle

The GAZ-3102 Volga is an automobile manufactured by the Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod from 1982 to 2009 as a generation of its Volga marque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevrolet van</span> Motor vehicle

The Chevrolet Van or Chevy Van is a range of vans that was manufactured by General Motors from the 1964 to 1996 model years. Introduced as the successor for the rear-engine Corvair Corvan/Greenbrier, the model line also replaced the panel van configuration of the Chevrolet Suburban. The vehicle was sold both in passenger van and cargo van configurations as well as a cutaway van chassis that served as the basis for a variety of custom applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAZ Sobol</span> Motor vehicle

The GAZ Sobol is a series of Russian light-duty trucks, vans and minivans, produced by the Gorky Automobile Plant from November 1998. GAZ refers to the Sobol as a minivan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAZ-3308 Sadko</span> Russian 4-wheel-drive truck

The GAZ-3308 "Sadko" is a Russian-built, 2.5-ton, 4-wheel-drive cargo truck. The Sadko is produced by the Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ). It is named after Sadko, a protagonist in many bylinas of the Novgorod cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAZ-M1</span> Motor vehicle

The GAZ M1 (“Эмка“/”Emka”) was a passenger car produced by the Soviet automaker GAZ between 1936 and 1943, at their plant in Gorky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAZ-3307</span> Russian motor vehicle

The GAZ-3307 is a truck manufactured by the Soviet/Russian vehicle manufacturer Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod. The model was developed in 1989 on the basis of the GAZ-53. Under the designation GAZ-3309, there is a variant of the vehicle with an extended wheelbase and modified engine. The GAZ-3308 is the all-wheel-drive version that is also used for military purposes. More than 1,5 million GAZ-3307s were built, and in January 2020, production ceased after 31 years. Since 2014, a successor has been produced in the form of the GAZon NEXT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renault Super Goélette</span> Motor vehicle

The Renault Super Goélette is a van from the small commercial vehicle range manufactured by Saviem and marketed by Renault from 1965 to 1970, then from 1971 to 1980 by Saviem and finally by Renault Véhicules Industriels (RVI) between 1980 and 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAZ-31105</span> Motor vehicle

The GAZ-31105 Volga is an automobile manufactured by the Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod from 2004 to 2009 as a generation of its Volga marque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAZ-14</span> Soviet luxury automobile

The GAZ-14 Chaika is an automobile manufactured by the Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod from 1977 to 1988 as a generation of its Chaika marque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GAZ-13</span> Russian automobile

The GAZ-13 Chaika (Seagull) was an automobile manufactured by the Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod from 1959 to 1981 as a generation of its Chaika marque. It is famously noted for its styling which resembled 1950s Packard automobiles.

References

  1. Двигатели V8 ЗМЗ конструкция, характеристики, история разработки
  2. 1 2 3 4 "ГАЗ 53" [GAZ-53]. АвтоКлуб ГАЗ 53 (in Russian). Archived from the original on 20 September 2019.
  3. Rex, Rainer, ed. (July 1989), Lastauto Omnibus Katalog 1990[Truck and bus catalog] (in German), vol. 19, Motor-Presse-Verlag GmbH und Co. KG, p. 50, 81531/89001