The price of this car in the early 70s was only 3,500 rubles. He was rightly considered the most democratic and most popular means of transportation throughout the USSR. And at the same time ZAZ-968A was a dream for every Soviet family. Despite its age, the car is a constant hero of jokes. Let's get acquainted with the history of this popular car, learn about its technical equipment and characteristics. Overview of ZAZ - further in our article.
The legend everyone heard of
The USSR entered the 1960s, and at the Zaporizhzhya Kommunar plant they launched a small-looking car, funny in appearance, - ZAZ-965. Appearance of domestic development resembled the cult Fiat 500 then . A little later, the car was subjected to a huge number of changes, including the installation of a new body. Engineers will increase its size - it will be a two-door sedan. The engine will also undergo significant improvements. However, after a while this car will go to the annals of history.
In 1980, the ZAZ-968a was introduced to the automobile public of the USSR, which was assembled almost without changes on the conveyors of the Zaporizhzhya plant until 1994.
Interestingly, this comic nature is already evident in the name of the model. So, the 968 index suggests an association with the Porsche 968. The letter hints that the design is a relative of the powerful Bavarian cars created in the Motosport tuning department. The very first such index began to be used in Zaporozhye. It is still unclear why Western automakers did not sue the USSR for copyright infringement.
But be that as it may, ZAZ-968a Zaporozhets was the most affordable car for any Soviet citizen. Naturally, one did not have to count on any kind of comfort during the operation of this machine. But for utilitarian tasks, the car was more than suitable - it rides, and this is good. The machine performed such simple tasks no worse, and maybe even better than other domestic models.
In terms of cross-country ability, Zaporizhzhya cars could only be compared with monsters-SUVs. Due to the rear-engine layout, ZAZ-968a was no worse than UAZ overcoming marshes and snowdrifts in winter.
Now on the roads these cars are still found in some places. But they no longer fulfill their task, and they are exploited only as a hobby (for example, they often buy for a project). Those who are not so fond of auto-theme to tune Zaporozhets are happy to sell their ZAZ. Now anyone can buy such a machine. Sell ​​it at the price of good sneakers or an inexpensive smartphone - up to $ 200.
Thus, even poor students can get unprecedented opportunities - for example, having “Zaporozhets” can make you rich easily. Automobile bloggers installed on the ZAZ-968a engine from the BMW-520 e34, shot a series of videos about it and made good money. Well, it’s doubly pleasant when such a “Zaporozhets” tears some modern powerful foreign car on the road to shreds.
A bit of history
Looking at the intensity with which the automotive industry is developing in the world, the USSR decided that it was necessary to completely rework ZAZ-965, or "Brokeback." Having removed this model from production, a team of design engineers set to work actively to create a more modern car. And in the year 71 ZAZ-968 came off the assembly lines . ZAZ-968A will appear a couple of years later - in the 74th year.
Adhering to the strategy of accessibility, the designers decided not to pay too much attention to the level of comfort. Therefore, the new machine had only a basic set of electrical appliances, a rear engine, as well as a primitive interior.
The last modernization with the machine happened in 79 - this is ZAZ-968M. Here a new front end, new rear position lights, another dashboard appeared.
Appearance
Compared with the previous modification, the ZAZ-968a looked newer and more modern. Dimensions have become proportional. Car body of the carrier, all-metal. Finishing it has become more acceptable. Designers placed interesting air intakes on the hind wings. You can also highlight the rear arches - they are made low lowered.
"Zaporozhets" - it's still a small class sedan, designed for four passengers. But there is no question of any comfort. An interesting fact is that the engineers used universal locks in the construction - they could be opened with anything.
But the car was painted very high quality. Painted in a single color. Now many consider this one of the main advantages of the model. The paint did not peel and peel off even after tens of years of tough operation. You can also highlight the high resistance of the body to corrosion. Nobody processed these cars, and they have survived to this day without holes. On many ZAZ-968a the bottom is whole and has never been repaired.
The doors were stamped and consisted of two parts. They were equipped with a manual mechanism for lowering / raising the windows and a pivoting window with a latch inside.
Interior
Inside, the ZAZ-968a (photo of the cabin is in our article) is surprising in its modesty, to say the least. There is a minimum of appliances, a small mirror, an independent type stove, a fairly compressed space. Trim done in plain materials without any hint of minimal comfort. But at the same time, you can distinguish good chairs.
Of the options that could be found in the cabin, highlight the upholstery of the ceiling, sun visors, glove compartment. The stove, although it was autonomous, but, judging by the reviews of the owners, it did not work well. Riding in Zaporozhets in the Russian winter was simply unrealistic.
The trunk in its volume resembles a good “glove compartment”. It does not even fit a large subwoofer. But you can easily get out of the situation - just remove the front passenger seat or install the roof rack.
ZAZ-968a: technical specifications
The model was produced from 1974 to 1980. The length of the body was 3730 mm, width - 1570 mm, height - 1400 mm. The ground clearance is 190 mm. The curb weight is 840 kg. Next, we will separately talk about the engine and gearbox.
Engine
The power unit in this car is located at the rear; during repair and maintenance, it is fully available. This is a four-stroke carburetor engine MeZM 968 with a volume of 1.2 liters. Its power is 40 liters. from. At work, this unit made terrible sounds, but with a working exhaust system, the motor voice was quite tolerable. The resource of power units did not differ in duration - on average it was about 40-50 thousand km. However, this was due to the fact that the owners used any oil and even mining. At the same time, the motor did not lose its characteristics and gave out all the power. Also, there were no serious breakdowns on such “nutrition”.
MeZM-968 was distinguished by an upper valve arrangement and an air cooling system. I must say that with cooling the car always had big problems. Cast iron cylinders, V-shaped - they could be easily removed, and they had a ribbed surface. But the cylinder head was aluminum. The crankshaft is made of cast iron and has a good balance with a flywheel and a centrifuge. The timing was a gear type with overhead valves. The mechanism had a balancer, rods, camshaft, and rocker arms.
The engine accelerated the car to 100 km / h in eternal 38 seconds. Average fuel consumption has never been higher than 7.8 l / 100 km. And here it should be noted that the car was operated exclusively on bad roads.
Transmission
Engineers used a four-speed manual gearbox with this power unit. She was different in that she had three moves and was combined with a differential. Its design has not changed since the time of the 965th model. At first, the box worked perfectly. But during operation, the traction loosened, and the shift lost its clarity. On cars that have survived to this day, the checkpoint howls, the gears themselves fly out. Some models lack reverse gear. The clutch wears out quickly, although the system was hydraulically driven.
Suspension
Suspension was used lever-torsion type. The system consisted of two pipes connected by brackets. The system also used hydraulic shock absorbers with springs. The rear suspension was equipped with a steel double lever. The floor of the car was attached to it. All the cars that are on sale today have already pretty broken steering rods and bearings in the hubs. Riding such cars can be simply dangerous.
Brake system
The brakes on these cars were set drum (on the front and rear axle). Their peculiarity was in the floating type of pads. The gap between the pads was regulated using a special regulator.
Naturally, this design does not meet modern requirements. But for a car with such characteristics, this is enough. The main brake cylinder ZAZ-968a sometimes leaked, and constantly had to repair it. Over time, the adhesion of the pads to the drum deteriorates. Brakes require constant maintenance (however, like all suspension parts).
Conclusion
So, we found out the history of origin and technical specifications of ZAZ-968a. Very few such specimens have survived to this day. But, despite the rarity, the car is always on sale. The price tag rarely exceeds $ 200. Of course, after the purchase you will have to spend a lot of money on repairs. But ZAZ-968 is one of the most budget cars that can be taken under the project.