Moskvich-400(401)- passenger rear wheel drive car, produced by the factory MZMA(Moscow plant of small cars - that's what AZLK was called in 1945 - 1968) ...
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ZAZ-965

ZAZ-965/ZAZ-965A. Photos characteristics.
1960-1963

History of ZAZ and goes back to 1863, when in Aleksandrovsk (until 1922 the glorious Soviet city of Zaporozhye was called, also known as the location of the large-scale DneproGES), Abraham Koop (Dutch) opened a plant for the production of agricultural machinery. In 1908, the Melitopol Motor Plant (now a division of ZAZ) was opened to produce engines internal combustion, from this date the actual history of the ZAZ company begins.

Since 1923 the factory "Kommunar"(the old name of ZAZ) produced combines and agricultural machinery. Cars at the Kommunar plant began to be produced only in 1960 (ZAZ 965). In 1961, Kommunar was renamed ZAZ, so sometimes the official history of ZAZ is considered from that time.

photo of ZAZ-965

ZAZ 965 "Zaporozhets" (1960-1963)

"Soap dish", "Hunchback", "Fafik" - as soon as they do not call the little nimble "Zaporozhets" ZAZ-965. Many of us started our “auto” biography with him. Not everyone, however, knows how motley was the history of this first among the "Cossacks".

Interest in small cars, as they were then called, arose and grew like an avalanche in the mid-50s. Numerous samples appeared in different countries - from a primitive surrogate car to a reduced copy of a traditional small car. Work on such designs was launched in our USSR as well. The impetus was the fact that since 1956, MZMA stopped the production of a small-sized (length 3855 mm), light (840 kg), four-seat Moskvich-401 and switched to a more spacious, comfortable and expensive Moskvich-402. And the demand for a compact, light and simple car has not disappeared.

Our factories and research institutes in 1955-1960 designed, built and tested many prototypes of minicars and motorized sidecars. Here are just a few of them: "Squirrel" IMZ-A50, NAMI-048, NAMI-031, GAZ-18, NAMI-059, MVTU. All these designs made it possible to more clearly define the requirements for ultra-small machines.

photo of IMZ-NAMI-A50 "Squirrel"

photo NAMI-031

photo GAZ-18

Just in those years, it was decided to reconstruct the Kommunar combine plant in Zaporozhye and the light diesel plant in Melitopol in order to expand the production of small cars from 1960. Design, build and refine prototypes new car instructed to conduct the team of the Moscow plant of small cars - MZMA (now AZLK). Their development began in the fall of 1956. Taken as a sample FIAT-600, the most successful car of this class. An important circumstance that predetermined the choice was the fact that this machine was the latest (its release began in 1955) and that it best suited the conditions of mass production.

Moskvich-444 1957

photo Moskvich-444

The first prototype of the car - she was given index "444"- was ready just a year later, in October 1957. In her appearance and the design of nodes felt the influence FIAT-600, but nevertheless, even at this stage, there were significant differences.

For a small machine, the wheel diameter is always the decisive factor. Considering road conditions our country, the designers have increased the landing size for the tire from 12 to 13 inches. This step required significant changes in the kinematics of the wheel suspension, forced to increase the volume of wheel arches and make adjustments to the overall layout. Another important difference is that the car did not have a four-cylinder water-cooled engine, as in FIAT, but a two-cylinder boxer MD-65 of the Irbit motorcycle plant, which had air cooling. Engine had a drawback, and very significant, from a layout point of view, was a very developed crankcase - its depth (distance from the axis crankshaft to the bottom of the oil pan) was 184 mm. Therefore, to obtain an acceptable clearance at the hubs rear wheels"Moskvich-444" had to install wheel gears similar to those used today on LuAZ-969M .

photo Moskvich-444

In addition, the first sample of 1957 - let's call it conditionally "444-57" - differed from the Italian car, in addition to the above, in the shape of the rear part of the body, a different design of the front end, and a reinforced gearbox. Triangular emblem on the front, convex arrow-shaped stamping on the door, decorative "comb" in front of the opening rear wheel(a motif borrowed from the Moskvich-402) and four round air intakes on the rear wing, reminiscent of miniature firefighter helmets - these were other distinctive body details. By the way, already at this stage the car had interchangeable windshield and rear window- a valuable feature for a mass model. The next year, MZMA built new samples (let's call them "444-58") with modified design elements: a front wing with a higher upper part, a different form of lining. One of them, painted in ivory, with a carrot-colored roof, was exhibited in the winter of 1958/59 at VDNH USSR. This car, on the emblem of which instead of “444” was “650”, the front suspension on the transverse spring and sliding (non-lifting) windows in the doors are still preserved from the first sample.

ZAZ-965 engine

photo Engine MD-65

Engine MD-65, created on the basis of a motorcycle, turned out, as tests revealed, unsuitable for a car. On a motorcycle with a sidecar, which weighs 320 kg, this engine worked in more favorable (in terms of load) conditions than on a minicar, twice as heavy. In addition, MD-65 at the stand developed power only 17.5 liters. With. From here bad dynamics cars: sluggish acceleration and shortfall in maximum speed (80 km/h instead of the design 95 km/h). The motor was very noisy and did not cool well. But the main drawback was that the engine was short-lived: its service life was up to overhaul could barely be 30 thousand km.

For these reasons, first at MZMA in 1957, and then at NAMI, the design of a new, special engine began. Created at MZMA two designs of a two-cylinder boxer engine type "Citroen 2LS" with air cooling and working volume 748 cm 3 in the second half of 1958 were just bench tests. As a temporary measure, an improved version, which received the designation "444-BKR" (that is, without a wheel gear), was equipped with a BMW-600 engine - also from a minicar. This engine had a much smaller crankcase, similar to the designed MZMA and NAMI engines. The elimination of gearboxes made it possible to reduce the unsprung weight by 6 kg. At the same time, the car received a front suspension on longitudinal balancing arms and plate torsion bars and side air intakes in the form of an elongated grille.

In 1959, new prototypes of the future Zaporozhets were released. At the same time, the MZMA design bureau, with the help of a team of ZAZ engineers who arrived at the end of 1958, began to produce drawings for pre-production. In April 1959, all technical documentation for model 965 was transferred to Zaporozhye. The prototypes of 1959, unlike the FIAT-600, no longer had sliding door windows, but sliding ones, as on most cars. The arrow-shaped notch on the wing and the “comb” disappeared. The rear lights were equipped with reflectors not in the middle, but in the lower part. Sidelights were installed in separate housings on the wings. Later, samples were made with modified front fenders and stampings on the front panel. In these cars, sidelights remained on the front fenders, but the ZAZ emblem and the inscription "Zaporozhets" appeared on the front panel in rectangular letters.

In June 1959, the first two four-cylinder ZAZ- 965 . One ( 965G) had a horizontal opposed arrangement of cylinders and a working volume of 752 cm 3, another ( 965B) - V-shaped and a working volume of 746 cm 3. In terms of power performance, both designs were equivalent, but the 965V engine had a number of advantages over the 965G, was original and modern in design. It was accepted for mass production. In 1960, ZAZ was preparing for the production of a new car. The plant assembled the first batch on November 22 and produced about one and a half thousand Zaporozhets by the end of the year. This is how the first Soviet minicar ZAZ-965 began its life. It would be more correct to call it small-sized (4 seats, length 3330 mm), given modern terminology. Along with basic model the factory built a modification of the 965C for the transport of mail (with a right-hand drive, metal panels instead of rear windows and a letter box in place rear seat); as well as ZAZ 965B with manual control for the disabled.

photo of ZAZ-965

photo of ZAZ-965

photo of ZAZ-965

From October 1962 to May 1969, the modernized Zaporozhets ZAZ-965A rolled off the assembly line with a more powerful 27-horsepower engine, the working volume of which was increased to 887 cm 3. He was also distinguished steering wheel with an insulated hub, sidelights mounted in the wings (and not on them), decorative molding along the body sidewall, a modified factory sign (a rectangle instead of an asterisk), a decorative grille on the front panel.

photo of the ZAZ-965 interior

"Zaporozhets-965" from the very beginning was well received by the consumer. In fairness, it should be noted that (especially on the first production cars) the front suspension torsion bars often lost their elasticity, and in hot weather the engine overheated. But, despite these "childhood illnesses", the minicar immediately showed its best side in rural areas, areas with bad roads. ZAZ-965 owes good cross-country ability to a smooth bottom, independent suspension of all wheels, sufficient loading (60% total weight) drive wheels. In especially difficult cases, when the car was unable to get out of the mud itself, its crew, with some diligence, could always release a car weighing only 665 kg from captivity. The townspeople quickly appreciated in "Zaporozhets" its maneuverability, good economy, high strength of the body. The latter quality was facilitated by the presence of only two doors, the openings of which did not weaken the sidewall as much as on machines with four-door bodies. And of course, the engine with separate cylinders, relatively light and easy to dismantle, was always quickly and easily removed, repaired on its own “in the kitchen” and put back in place without much loss of time. This car has been produced for nine years. And today it is still often found on the roads, and many of its owners consider their ZAZ-965 famous car.

ZAZ-965AB (1963-1969) and 965AR (1966-1972)

Controls ZAZ-965

ZAZ-965AB produced on the basis of the main model ZAZ-965, production was started in 1962. This modification was intended for the management of disabled people who, as a result of injuries, lost one or both of their legs. The manual control of the clutch and brakes of this modification was carried out in such a way that the conventional brake and clutch pedals were retained in the vehicle's drive mechanism. These clutch and brake foot controls have been retained in order to enable drivers who do not have foot injuries to drive the car.
The hydraulic brake lever was located to the right of the steering wheel and was mounted on an axle that passed through a tunnel on the floor of the body. The hydraulic brake drive is produced by moving the lever forward, which is pivotally connected to the brake pedal and pusher, and the intensity of braking depends on the change in the force applied to the handle of this lever. There is no latch on the lever. And here is the management clutch occurs with the help of two levers, which are located on both sides of the steering wheel. Plastic handles are installed at the ends of the lever rods. The clutch mechanism is driven by levers, which are connected through a pusher to the clutch pedal and the intermediate rod pivotally.

SMZ-motorcycles

Production SMZ-SZD began in July 1970 and continued for more than a quarter of a century. The last motorized carriage rolled off the conveyor of Serpukhov car factory(SeAZ)…

The main parameters of the comparison participants:

Brand and model: FIAT 600
Years of production: 1955-1969
body type: 2-door fastback
Engines: 0.6; 0.8; both - I4
Length: 3215 mm
Width: 1380 mm
Height: 1405 mm

Brand and model: ZAZ-965 "Zaporozhets"
Years of production: 1960-1969
body type: 2-door sedan (coupe)
Engines: 0.9; V4
Length: 3330 mm
Width: 1395 mm
Height: 1450 mm

Cars are large, ordinary and small. Also, they are tiny. Such is the FIAT 600 - a car weighing only 585 kg, and this is already equipped. If necessary, several men could pull such a car out of any pit with their hands. And another indisputable advantage of this funny vehicle was the price, enthusiasts thought that if this car was sold today, its cost would be about € 6,500. Cheaper than any other European car. It was cars like the FIAT 600 and FIAT 500 that could be made from post-war Italy. automobile country. From 1955 to 1969, two and a half million FIAT 600s were produced, after stopping production in Italy, the car continued to be made in South America; the Spanish SEAT 600 and the Yugoslav Zastava 750 must be added to the total, all of these were copies of the famous minicar.
If it were necessary to choose an illustration for the expression "a car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation", then the Italian minicar would fit perfectly. This is really a "vehicle" - four wheels, a motor and a steering wheel. Cramped interior, seats like a grandmother's chair (from the adjustments only "back and forth"), the trunk is smaller than any other suitcase; what a luxury!
Meanwhile, it was these machines that were popular in unspoiled post-war Europe. In an even less spoiled victorious country - the USSR - the need for an extremely simple and inexpensive car was just huge! And it is not surprising that the FIAT 600 was taken as a model for the development of such a machine. We must pay tribute to the MZMA team (future AZLK), they did not limit themselves to simple copying. The ideas laid down in FIAT were rethought by Soviet designers, the cars received a different suspension and a slightly more spacious body. The tiny wheels of the prototype were replaced with larger ones, they were better suited for Soviet roads. The result was a car with the name Moskvich-444. But he never went into the series, the capacities of the Moscow plant were fully loaded. I had to urgently reorient the Kommunar agricultural machinery plant in the Ukrainian city of Zaporozhye to produce a new car. This is how the ZAZ-965 appeared, the legendary "humpback"...

FIAT 600 - the prototype of the first "Zaporozhets"

"Zaporozhets" is slightly larger than its progenitor. And the main difference is that FIAT does not have a "hump"

A small lyrical digression: who would have thought then, in the middle of the twentieth century, that in the new, twenty-first century, the former combine plant, having outlived the country that made it automobile, would continue to exist, becoming the only large automobile plant in Ukraine and releasing copies of Korean cars. Even the most daring science fiction writer could not have imagined this in 1960. But even this is not interesting, it is curious to know what will happen to the country and the plant after another half a century, what zigzags history will write out - this is really interesting. It remains only to wait for these very half a century :-)

Let's go back to FIAT. I managed to meet such a car on the streets of Helsinki last summer. Interestingly, the car was just parked on one of the streets of the city center. I don’t know if its owner uses it as an everyday car, but I haven’t been able to meet ZAZ-965 in the cities of the former USSR for many years. Of course, we are not talking about exhibition cars during various retro events. There they are often found, among collectors "humped" is one of the most favorite toys. And just like that, just walking around, it is almost impossible to see this car on the street in our time.

FIAT 600 on the streets of Helsinki in the summer of 2011

Let's see what these cars were like. There will be a little more photos today than usual.

Doors hung on rear hinges are one of the brightest signs of the FIAT 600 and its Soviet counterpart. It’s not worth talking about the spaciousness of the cabin, but if desired, five people could squeeze into the car, unless, of course, they did not have the dimensions of Nikolai Valuev

Despite being oversized, there was plenty of legroom in the front seats thanks to the rear engine. The interior of the car is touching - take a look at least at the door handles

The trunk, already small, is squeezed to the size of a baby cradle by a spare wheel and a gas tank. Next to the spare tire, you can also see the jack. Although Nikolai Valuev, I think, would have done without him, raising such a car for a Russian giant is not a problem :-)

The front panel was metal and painted in body color. The driver was also not spoiled with an abundance of instruments

All photos of the blue car from the Microcar museum website

Zaporizhia 965 is not far from its prototype. The same conciseness of the salon. Take a look:

Painted metal, toggle switches sticking out here and there and a niche under the panel instead of a "glove box". But on these machines people managed to travel all over the USSR!

An example for the current car enthusiast :-) What are the climate controls and on-board computers! Speedometer, oil temperature gauge, fuel meter and two controls - for headlights and turn signals. This is all.

"Humpbacked" was a landmark car for the Land of the Soviets. Perhaps he symbolizes the best that was in it. This is a machine of the era of the sixties and sixties, the time of hope and optimism. That was the time when space seemed close and accessible: just after Gagarin and other cosmonauts, hundreds of new ships will fly to the stars, we will soon open a base on the Moon, and there it will not be far from cities on Mars. It was a time of kindness and self-confidence: no one is imprisoned anymore, and the times of the Gulag have been publicly condemned. Strange, but it is a small funny machine that evokes the warmest feelings among the inhabitants of the former Soviet state. And perhaps this is no accident.
So thanks to the Italian designers who created the FIAT 600 and inspired the Soviet engineers on the ZAZ-965. These were small cars, but big eras.

Not only mothers with children, but also quite adult men did not disdain to ride a mini-capacity FIAT.

ZAZ-965. Small car of a big country

Probably, there was not a single courtyard where "Zaporozhets" would not meet. There was such a car in the yard of my childhood. It was owned by a middle-aged taxi driver. I wonder what it was like for him to change from a working Volga to a personal Constipation? :-) The owner followed the car well. Not a single weekend went by without a round, bald taxi driver messing around with his car. Every summer, on fine days, he drove her out into the air and painted with a vacuum cleaner always the same pale blue.
This continued until the early nineties. Once a taxi driver appeared in the yard on a cream "Lada" "penny". The well-deserved "humped" was kicked out of the garage and settled under the windows of the house for several years. The taxi driver's grandson periodically drove around the neighborhood in an elderly Cossack. They stopped painting it and rust began to appear on the uneven sides of the old hard worker.
And then they disappeared: the old taxi driver, and his grandson, and the Zaporozhets. Apparently they moved to a different address. The garages were demolished a few years later, and now nothing reminds of the old cars and their owners.

In real life, you can see ZAZ-965 and FIAT 600 side by side only at the exhibition. These cars never worked side by side, then the automotive Italy and the automotive USSR were too far away

Text, photos - phantomserge

© Iron Ghosts of the Past - 2012

Additions or amendments to

ZAZ 965, better known to most motorists as "Hunchback" became the most anecdotal car of the former USSR. Jokes about Zaporozhets crashing into Mercedes were very popular in the 90s, when such cars were actually sold for next to nothing. When, in 1961, this car was sold new, 1,800 rubles had to be paid for it, and this is more than a year's salary of an ordinary Soviet person. Of course, most people prefer to go to the country in their own car than to stand at the bus stop and wait for the bus, and the appearance of such a car in the family was a great joy. Work on the development of a mass small car in the USSR began back in 1955, the Humpbacked Zaporozhets went into the series in November 1960 and to a new one, 1961- th year, 1,500 machines were built. Despite the fact that specialists from AZLK were involved in the development of the small car, the assembly of the new car was launched in Zaporozhye, at the Kommunar plant, which previously produced combines and tractors. In just 9 years of production, 322,000 965s were created. When developing the Soviet small car, the basis was taken FIAT 600. The great advantage of the Italian car was its simplicity, so in Italy, in just a year, 500,000 of these cars were produced. From these figures, you can realize how strong the Fiat industry was in those years. Initially domestic car it was planned to equip a two-cylinder engine from a Ural motorcycle, but motorcycle engine it was hard to pull out a loaded car, because even an empty car was twice as heavy as the Urals. More details will discuss the topic of the engine below - in the paragraph about technical specifications 965.

External review ZAZ 965

The humpbacked Zaporozhets is distinguished by its compact dimensions, so the length of this car is 3350mm, width - 1395mm, height - 1450mm. It is worth saying that the Humpback is well suited for off-road driving, with a wheelbase of 2023mm, ground clearance(clearance) of the Soviet small car - 175mm, from these data we can conclude that it will be very difficult to put the ZAZik on the "Belly". The angle of entry at Gorbaty is 35 degrees, the exit angle is 29 degrees. The curb weight of Zaporozhets is only 660 kg. By geometric passability soviet car better than many crossovers and even SUVs. In addition, thanks to the narrow track, ZAZik can drive between the track of a truck, which also contributes to good cross-country ability. In 1962, two years after the start of production, the Hunchback was modified, the updated car can be recognized by the size indicators that moved from the top of the wings, under the wings, and by the presence of a chrome molding on the side of the body. The restyled Humpback received the index 965A. During an external examination of Zaporozhets, one can notice that the rear wheels of an empty car are, as it were, slanted in inside- this is caused by the peculiarities of the torsion bar suspension and negatively affects the stability of the car.

Overview of ZAZ 965 in the cabin

Sitting in the ZAZik it is impossible not to notice that the doors do not open as in conventional cars in the direction of travel, but against the direction of travel. According to the reviews of the owners of 965, it happens that such doors open on the go. The front panel is metal, the plastic panel-overlay is only on the instruments. Interestingly, the turn signals are not turned on by the steering column lever, as on most modern cars, and special a toggle switch, which of course is not convenient with heavy traffic, but in the 60s there were not many cars in the USSR. Unlike FIAT 500, windows in ZAZik are lowered into the doors, and do not move to the side. In the trunk, which is in the front in Gorbaty, there is spare wheel and fuel tank.

Specifications ZAZ 965

Humpbacked Zaporozhets has a four-cylinder engine with V- shaped cooling of cylinders and air cooling. Air cooling itself has a number of disadvantages over liquid cooling, but given the fact that in those days,all mass passenger cars in the USSR were cooled with water, not antifreeze, or antifreeze - it was necessary to drain it before each winter parking, and start it before starting the engine. Since Zaporozhets did not have liquid cooling, it was not necessary to drain the water - this simplified the operation of the machine. With a diameter of each of the four cylinders of 66 mm and a piston stroke of 54.5 mm, before restyling in 1962, the MeMZ engine had a volume of 746 cubic centimeters and developed a power of 23 horsepower. After the upgrade, the cylinder diameter was increased to 72mm, which increased the engine capacity to 887 cubic centimeters and gave an additional 4 horsepower. Fuel tank Zaporozhets holds 24 liters of gasoline. Such engines, due to the thin walls of the cylinders and high thermal loads, do not have a large resource, especially for older engines, the engine of which is stained with oil and dust, which prevent heat from evaporating from the engine.

Zaporozhets is equipped with a four-speed manual transmission, in which the second and fourth gears are synchronized. Drum brakes are installed on both axles.

Price ZAZ 965

Today you can buy a ZAZ 965 for 500$. Price 965 in excellent condition can reach 10,000$.

It is hard to imagine that today someone would buy such a car for their family. But such a car always enjoys attention on the road no less than , and today no one will look at ZAZik with disdain. A well-maintained Soviet car gives joy to people, and people who have invested their strength, and sometimes their soul, in the restoration of such cars have a craving for beauty and are highly respected by their neighbors in the traffic flow.

No, he is not small - for his class, the Zaporozhets was even too big. According to the then classification, the ZAZ-965, with its 650 kg of mass and dimensions of 3,330 x 1,395 x 1,450 mm, was classified as a microcar. At the same time, many analogue models were less solid - for example, Fiat 600 (3,215 x 1,380 x 1,405 mm), Morris Mini Minor (3,030 x 1,390 x 1,350 mm), NSU Prince (3,145 x 1,420 x 1 370 mm). But to a Soviet citizen, ZAZik seemed small against the background of the usual Muscovites, Pobeda, Volga and ZIMs. Today we, as people familiar with Oka, Smart, Daewoo Matiz, Hyundai i10 and other modern small things, the “humpback” would not seem so small.

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2. Close

Exaggeration! Yes, not the Volga, but for four adults, as stated in the manual, it is quite suitable. The interior width (1,300 mm) is even greater than that of the larger Moskvich-408/412 (1,220 mm), and the headroom is also larger, by as much as 15 mm! In front, you can stretch your legs, and behind us, two medium-sized men sat with our knees barely touching the backs of the front seats and with a gap “in the shoulders”. Yes, taller people here would have propped up the front seats more, but this is the only claim to the Zapik's spaciousness!

In any case, almost all four-seater competing cars have an even shorter interior, and for many the difference is about 10 cm at once: Renault 4 CV, NSU Prince, Trabant, Lloyd LP 600. As for the comfort of Zaporozhets, it would be fair to reproach him for a tough front suspension - but it was almost impenetrable. And what really seemed cramped to me was the pedal assembly, but for some reason no one criticizes ZAZik for this. But the steering wheel is light and quite adequate in terms of feedback.

3. Primitive

By no means! Everything that is in the design of the ZAZ-965 is aimed at achieving compactness - but not at all to save or simplify. In the USSR, with its non-market economy, manufacturers did not seek to "make" more money from consumers. Therefore, perhaps, in Zaporozhets there is not a single overtly budgetary solution, not a single clearly “bullshit”, disposable detail. All components are repairable and designed for long-term operation. Whatever you take with your hand - everything is durable, reliable, albeit not always elegant.

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Curb weight:

The layout of the car, the layout and design of the engine, structural materials, equipment, interior decoration - everything was done at a modern level for that period or ahead of it. For example, most of Zapik's foreign classmates, like him, were rear-engined, but besides him, only two or three models had a full-fledged four-cylinder power unit. Moreover, only at ZAZs it was rational for the rear placement of the V-shaped scheme. And not a single serial passenger car in the USSR had independent suspension- except Zaporozhets, of course!

4. Weak

Lies! Other cars then were no more "charged"! With the most common engines (27 and 30 hp), the Zaporozhets had a power-to-weight ratio of 24–21 kg per 1 liter. s., and, for example, the contemporary Moskvich-407 - 22 kg per 1 liter. With. Naturally, with a full load, the alignment changed, but this is the lot of any small-format car, due, by the way, to a more rational ratio payload and own weight of the machine.

Today you can still meet "ZAZik", which was not touched by the hand of the restorer

In general, the dynamics of a serviceable "humpback" was quite in line with the spirit of the times - another thing is that not all owners could maintain a budget car in good condition. In today's city traffic, the car keeps quite confidently - but only within the first two or three gears. Then, of course, the fuse dries up - the current speeds are no longer the same.

5. The motor is unusable - chronically overheats

Do you really think that in the USSR someone could put an engine unsuitable for operation on the conveyor? A serviceable MeMZ-965 engine (Melitopol Motor Plant) maintained a regular thermal regime under any driving conditions: with a full load, the car passed state tests in the North, the Caucasus, the Crimea, Central Asia - in fact, where it was subsequently successfully operated.

The real misfortune of the Cossacks was that not all owners maintained their car in proper technical condition. Actually, this concerned not only ZAZs, and it didn’t matter what type of engine we were talking about: if neglected “dropsy”, for example, left puddles of water on the roads, then they warmed up. The elementary procedure for washing or cleaning the ZAZ engine prevented problems, but for many unfortunate motorists, under the casings of the cooling system, the engine was overgrown with an oil crust, reinforced with layers of dust and fluff, and a violation of the temperature regime was guaranteed.

And if, after repair or maintenance, the “craftsmen” threw out at least part of the tin air ducts from under the hood (and they threw it out without exception, almost after one!), Specific overheating did not take long. Unfortunately, a network of car services - neither for ZAZs, nor for other brands - did not exist in the country in the 1960s, and there was no one to instill a culture of competent service for the Cossacks.

Brief specifications

Engine: four-cylinder, V-shaped, 887 cm³ Power: 30 hp With. (4,000-4,200 rpm) Maximum torque: 5.3 kgm (2,800-3,000 rpm) Dimensions (L x W x H): 3,330 x 1,395 x 1,450 mm Ground clearance : 175 mm Max speed: 100 km/h

6. Afraid of the heat

Fiction! A fundamentally erroneous stereotype that spreads to everything in the motorist environment. Meanwhile, based on the theory of internal combustion engines, heat has less effect on the operation of the “air vent” motor than the “dropsy” that is familiar to everyone. The reason is simple: the temperature difference between the engine cylinder (140-180 ° C) and the coolant - outboard air (say, 30 ° C) is much higher than between the same cylinder and the antifreeze washing it (90 ° C). Do you get the gist? Against the background of a difference of 110–150 degrees, a change in air temperature outside the Zaporozhets window by 15 degrees, as physicists say, can be neglected. Where did this stable stereotype come from that the Cossacks especially often overheat in the heat?

Apparently, the fact is that in the USSR, half of the "private owners" operated cars only in the warm season. And it was in summer that the number of Zaporozhians on the roads increased significantly: dachas, vacation time, voyages to the sea, to the mountains, to the river ... overheat. So they stood on the sidelines of the Zapika with the hood up, cooling down and making anti-advertising for themselves. In winter, the percentage of ZAZs on the roads is different, the driving modes are the same, and there are an order of magnitude fewer conspicuous silhouettes with a raised rear hood.

The instrument panel without a thermometer is a sign of ZAZ-965 produced before July 1964

These days we drive perfectly restored, tuned and complete cars, and it is clear that the thermometer needle on the instrument panel behaved in a disciplined manner. On the other side, personal experience The author, who spent three years as a student on the ancient ZAZ-966 with the same “thirty” engine as the “humpback”, confirms that a clean and properly adjusted “engine” does not heat up, no matter how you torture it with overloads and steep climbs.

7. Unreliable

Reliable. There are few cases when one of the 322,166 copies of the "humpback", released in Zaporozhye from 1960 to 1969, stopped in the field and could not get home. Another thing is that he was not as durable as " state cars”- created for work in state structures Pobeda, Volga, ZIM. And yet, the design of the ZAZ-965 corresponded to the operating conditions in any regions of the Union: a strong suspension, a non-childish clearance (175 mm), a rigid and “rotting” body, a powerful heater (aka a starting heater).

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Weaknesses, of course, were - the engine served no more than 35-50 thousand kilometers before the average repair, the front suspension wore out faster than other nodes. But even here everything depended on care: the engine required good oil(and many filled it with a low-quality car), and the pivots and bushings of the “front end” torsion bars had to be regularly lubricated.

Over the years of mass production of ZAZ-965, there were more and more running copies on the streets, because a battered “humpback” cost mere pennies, and there was no reason to invest in serious repairs. Nevertheless, the “killed” specimens continued to drive somehow to the region and, in addition to benefiting their owners, brought the model an unreliable image. Today we have not carried out life tests, but we dare to assure you: a serviceable, well-functioning ZAZ-965 behaves quite adequately on the go and makes a completely pleasant impression on both the driver and passengers.

November 22, 1960 was released the first industrial batch of "Zaporozhets" ZAZ-965. Until the end of the year, about a thousand copies were produced. The modernization of the car was almost constant, the brakes were changed (automatic adjustment of the gap between the block and the drum was introduced), the front suspension (levers were reinforced), the engine power increased: first to 27, and then to 30 hp. In the cabin, more comfortable front seats and an upgraded instrument panel were installed, on which an oil thermometer appeared. In this form, the car lived on the assembly line until 1969. During this time, only 322,106 "Zaporozhets" models 965 and 965A were produced, as well as disabled modifications 965B and 965AB and cars for postal service 965C.

Engine, chassis (aka car number) and body serial numbers - Embossed on a plate located on the left side engine compartment(under the hood). The engine number is also stamped on right side crankshaft housing near the petrol pump mounting point.

Engine.

Engine model - MeMZ-965
Engine type - Gasoline, four-stroke, carburetor, overhead valve, air-cooled
Number of cylinders - 4
Cylinder diameter in mm - 66
Stroke in mm - 54.5
Working volume in l - 0.746
Compression ratio (nominal) - 6.5
Power in l. With:
- maximum (at 4000 rpm) - 23
- tax - 2.85
Maximum torque (at 2200-2500 rpm) in kgm - 4.5
The effective specific fuel consumption is the smallest in g / hp. hours - 260
The order of operation of the cylinders - 1-2-4-3
Cylinders - Cast iron, separate, with cooling fins. Camber angle 90°
Cylinder heads - Aluminum alloy, removable, common to every two cylinders. Plug-in valve seats
Pistons - Made of aluminum alloy with an oval conical skirt having a T-slot
Piston rings - Two compression and one oil scraper on each piston. The top ring is porous chrome plated and the second compression ring is tin plated.
Piston pins - Floating, kept from axial movement by retaining rings
Connecting Rods - Steel, forged, zu-taur section, with thin-walled replaceable liners in the lower head and a bronze collapsible bushing in the upper head
Crankshaft - Cast magnesium iron, tricycle, counterweighted, oil ducted, statically and dynamically balanced
Main bearings - Aluminum alloy, removable
Camshaft - Steel, hollow, two-bearing; surfaces of necks and cams are hardened
Drive unit camshaft- gear; magnesium alloy driven gear
Valves - Upper, located in the cylinder heads: inlet valve - tulip-shaped, made of steel 9C2; the exhaust valve is tulip-shaped, made of heat-resistant steel EI69. Inlet valve head diameter 26.5 mm, exhaust - 25 mm
Valve Springs - Constant Stroke
Valve lifters - Plunger type, cast iron, with chilled seat
Valve seats - Plug-in; made of special heat-resistant and anti-corrosion cast iron
Rocker arms - Steel with adjusting screw
Rocker bars - Dural tubes with pressed steel tips
Cooling system - Air forced with circulation to suction; equipped with axial fan
Fan - Axial type; located in the collapse of the cylinders on the axis of the generator
Lubrication system - Combined: under pressure and spray. Pressurization lubricates the crankshaft main and connecting rod bearings, camshaft bearings, tappets, rocker arm axles and rocker arm bushings. Other friction surfaces are splash lubricated
Oil pump - Gear type, driven by the crankshaft; located in the timing gear cover
Oil filter - Centrifugal type; located at the front end of the crankshaft
Oil cooler - Tubular; included in the lubrication system in parallel; located in the collapse of the cylinders on the crankcase
Crankcase ventilation - Siphon, the cavity of the crankcase communicates with the atmosphere through the cover of the timing gears
Petrol tank - Installed in the luggage compartment on the right side of the body. The filler neck of the tank is located centrally and is equipped with a hermetic plug with a valve
Gasoline pump - Diaphragm, with a sump in the head, equipped with a lever for manual pumping of gasoline
Carburetor - Type K-123, with a falling flow, balanced, double diffuser, with an economizer and an accelerator pump
Air cleaner - Inertial-contact type, with oil bath and nylon filter element
Gas pipelines - The intake and exhaust pipelines are located on opposite sides of the cylinder heads. The inlet pipeline is located on top and is cast from an aluminum alloy. Exhaust piping is made of steel pipe
Silencer - For each pair of cylinders one silencer, three-chamber, with perforated pipe
Suspension power unit- At three points on rubber cushions: two front - in the upper part of the clutch housing, the third (rear) - on the gearbox
Engine start system:
- basic - Electric starter
- duplicating - starting handle
Dry weight of engine with clutch, final drive and gearbox 120 kg
Engine marking - Letter, embossed on the right side of the crankshaft housing near the place where the gasoline pump is attached directly behind the serial number (after the asterisk). According to the inner diameter of the cylinder, engines assembled at the factory and of equal quality are divided into two groups A and B. Group A - diameter = 66.018 - 66.009 (color - red); group B - diameter = 66.009 - 66.000 (color - green). The group designation color is painted on one of the cylinder cooling fins.

Transmission.

Clutch - Single disc, dry, permanently closed, with pressure on the driven disc by six coil springs.
The outer diameter of the driven disk - 170 mm
Transmission - Gear type, four-speed, reverse, three-way. Installed synchromesh for 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears
Gear ratios:
first gear - 3.83
second gear - 2.29
third gear - 1.39
fourth gear - 0.897
transmission reversing - 4,79
Cardan joints - Two; crosses of hinges on needle bearings. Two sliding joints are located in the grooves of the side gears of the differential
Final drive - Helical bevel gear pair: gear ratio 5.12 (4 and 8 teeth)
Differential - Conical with two satellites
Axles - Fully floating type

Chassis.

Tires (dimensions in inches) - Low pressure tubeless, size 5.20-13"
Front wheel suspension - Independent torsion bar; works in conjunction with two shock absorbers
Front wheel hubs - Cast ductile iron complete with brake drum. Mounted on two tapered roller bearings
Rear wheel hubs - Steel. Mounted on two tapered roller bearings
Rear wheel suspension - Independent, spring; works in conjunction with two shock absorbers
Front and rear wheel suspension shock absorbers - Hydraulic, piston, double-acting, telescopic type
Wheels - Stamped, disk, with removable caps. Rim profile M x 13". Number of wheel studs - 4
Front wheel brake drums - Ductile iron cast with front wheel hubs
Rear Wheel Brake Drums - Ductile iron cast, removable; attached to the rear wheel hub with six bolts
Spare wheel - Installed and secured inside the trunk of the body
Weight of undercarriage units in kg:
- front suspension with brakes assy - 50
- rear suspension with brakes assy - 40

Control mechanisms.

Steering:
- type of steering gear - Globoidal worm with double roller
- gear ratio - 17 (in the middle position of the bipod)
Steering wheel - With two spokes and a decorative button. Steering wheel rim diameter 400 mm
Brakes:
- foot - Shoe with a hydraulic drive; works on all wheels. Floating brake pads
- manual (parking) - with mechanical cable drive; acts only on the rear brake pads (through the equalizer)
Brake cylinder diameters in mm:
- main - 19
- wheel front brake - 19
- rear wheel brake - 19

Electrical equipment.

Wiring system - Single wire; the negative pole of the current sources is connected to ground
Rated voltage in the network 12 V
Accumulator battery:
type - 6-ST-42
location - under the floor trunk of the body
Ignition coil:
type - B-1 small-sized with additional resistance, automatically switched off when the engine is started
location - On the top, casing of the engine cooling system (on the right side)
Ignition distributor - Type R-35V with centrifugal and vacuum ignition timing controllers and octane corrector
Spark plugs - Type SN-306 (A 7.5U) with thread SP-M14x1.25 mm
Generator - Type G-114, parallel excitation, power 160 W, 13 A
Relay-regulator - Type PP-109 two-element: reverse current relay and vibration voltage regulator, combined with a current limiter. Located on the front wall of the engine compartment
Starter - Type ST-114M, sequential excitation, power 0.6 hp, with mechanical engagement
Headlights - Type FG110 with a two-filament high and low beam lamp 60 and 40 light.
Sidelights - Type PF-205 with double-filament lamps: for parking light - 6 St. and for the direction indicator - 21 St.
Rear lights - Type FP-110. Two with double-filament lamps: for the parking light - 6 lights, for the direction indicator - 21 lights. One with a single filament brake light bulb - 21 St.
License plate lamp - Type - FP-111; has one light bulb in 3 St.
Plafond of internal illumination of a body - the PK-110 type with one lamp in 3 sv. and with switch
Windshield wiper - Type SL-210 electric with two brushes. It has a P17-A type switch with two positions: on and off
Emergency oil temperature sensor - Type MM-7 (adjusted to a temperature of 112° C)
Emergency oil pressure sensor - Type MM-102 (adjusted to a pressure of 0.4-0.7 kg / cm2)
Central light switch - Type P44-B. It has three positions of the handle: lighting is off, the light is on for city driving, the light is on for country driving. There is a rheostat to control the lighting of the shield
Foot light switch - Type P39 switches low - high beam headlights
Manual light switch (for ZAZ-965B) - Type P46-B switches the dipped - high beam headlights
Engine compartment lamp - With a lamp of 6 St.
Thermal fuse - Bimetallic (in the lighting circuit); installed on the central light switch
Fuses - In circuits: signal, instruments, wiper; The fuse box is located in the trunk on the front panel.
Instruments - Instrument panel type KP-210 contains: gasoline level gauge; control lamp oil temperature; oil pressure control lamp; direction indicator and high beam headlights; speedometer with a total counter of the distance traveled; the combination is illuminated by a lamp of 1 St.
Plug socket - Type 47-K; located under the instrument panel, on the left side
Direction indicator switch - Type P17-A; located on the instrument panel
Horn switch - Steering wheel hub button
Stoplight switch - Type VK-12, turns on the stoplight when you press the brake pedal; located on the main brake cylinder
Turn signal breaker - Type PC-57, gives a flashing light to indicate a turn; located under the instrument panel
Sound signal - Type C-44 electromagnetic, vibration. Located on the front suspension
Heater fan electric motor - Type ME-200 with a power of 5 W
Heater switch - Type P7-B; has three positions: off; the electric motor and the heating coil with candles are included; optional solenoid valve included
The control coil of the glow plug of the heater - It heats up when the heater is turned on for 15-20 seconds, it is installed under the instrument panel
Control lamp of a heater - In 1 St.; lights up at the moment the heater starts to work (after 45-60 seconds after switching on)
Ignition lock - Type VK-21A; located on the instrument panel

Body

Body type - Closed, two-door, all-metal, load-bearing
Body Equipment - Front trunk, rear view mirror, two sun visors, windshield washer and floor mats
Locking devices of doors - The lock in the handle of the left door which is locked outside by a key. The right door is locked from inside the body by turning the inside handle. Swivel glass doors are locked with special handles from inside the body
Glasses - Tempered. Windshield and rear glass curved
Body ventilation - Local draft-free; is carried out by turning part of the door windows or lowering the windows in the doors
Seats - Front - soft (made of sponge rubber), separate, adjustable in the longitudinal direction for the growth of the driver and passenger. Back - soft, spring, with a double solid pillow and a back
Plumage - A hood that rises up and unlocks from the inside of the body. In the open position, the hood is held by a support. There is a safety hook against spontaneous opening of the hood.
Buffer (one and rear) - Stamped chrome
Body upholstery - Made of special upholstery fabric and leatherette
Body painting - Synthetic automotive enamels (TU MHP)
Body heating - Independent heater, in which the air is heated and supplied to the body and to blow the windshield by an electric motor with a power of 5 watts
The weight of the straightened and painted body is 210 in kg

Filling capacities in l

Gasoline tank - 30
Engine lubrication systems - 2.8
Air filter (bath) - 0.09
Crankcase gearbox and main transmission - 2
Steering gear housing - 0.4
Hubs front wheel 100 g
Systems hydraulic drive brakes - 0.4
Front shock absorber - 0.2
Rear shock absorber - 0.15

Basic data for adjustments and monitoring

Clearances between the tips of the valve stems and the pressure (adjusting) bolts of the rocker arms on a cold engine at a cylinder head temperature of 15-20 ° C in mm:
- for the inlet valve - 0.08
- for the exhaust valve - 0.1
Gas distribution phases (with the calculated gap between the tips of the valve stems and the pressure bolts of the rocker arms) in degrees:
- intake valve opening - 10 to TDC
- closing of the inlet valve - 46 after BDC
- intake duration - 146
- opening of the exhaust valve - 46 to BDC
- closing of the exhaust valve - 10 after TDC
- release duration - 146
- valve overlap - 20
Oil pressure in the lubrication system of a warm engine (for control, not subject to adjustment) - 2 kg / cm2
Deflection of the fan belt under the pressure of the thumb - 12-15 mm
The distance from the strip of the connector of the float chamber to the level of gasoline when checking with a glass tube (on the float chamber "level") - 18 mm
The gap between the contacts of the breaker - 0.35-0.45 mm
The gap between the electrodes of the candle - 0.6-0.75 mm
Free travel clutch pedal - 25-35 mm
Free travel of the brake pedal (not subject to adjustment) - 3-6 mm
Level brake fluid in the nutrient tank of the main brake cylinder (from the upper edge of the filler neck) - 10-15 mm
Tire pressure in kg/cm2:
front wheels - 1.3
rear wheels - 1.7
Front wheel toe-in (when measured between tires) at full static vehicle load - 1-8 mm
The convergence of the rear wheels (measured between the tires) with the wheel plane perpendicular to the floor level - 1-6 mm
Camber angle of front wheels (not subject to adjustment) - 0 ° 40 "± 20"

SPECIFICATIONS

Model	ZAZ-965	ZAZ-965B
Model Year	1960	1961
Number of seats (including driver's seat)	4	4
Vehicle weight in kg:
- without load	650	650
- with full load	950	950
The weight distribution of the curb vehicle with full axle load in %:
- on the front axle	40	40
- on rear axle	60	60
Dimensions (nominal) in mm:
- length	3330	3330
- width	1395	1395
- height (without load)	1450	1450
Base (distance between axles) in mm	2023	2023
Track in mm:
- front wheels (on the ground)	1144	1144
- rear wheels (at full static load)	1160	1160
Lowest ground clearance at full load and normal tire pressure (under the front suspension brackets) in mm	175	175
Smallest turning radius (on the track of the outer front wheel) in m	5	5
>Overhang angles (with full load):
- front	36°	36°
- rear	25°	25°
The highest speed on a horizontal section of a flat dry highway at full load km / h	80	80
Maximum design climb angle in first gear	14°12"	14°12"
Braking distance on a dry horizontal section of an asphalt highway with a full load from a speed of 30 km / h to a complete stop in m (no more)	6	6
Control fuel consumption (in summer, for a serviceable and run-in car, with a full load, at a speed of 40-50 km / h, on a horizontal and even highway) per 100 km in l.	5,5	5,5