GAZ-52

GAZ-52 at a glance: the lighter half of a truck family

At the end of the 1950s GAZ planned a new family of bonneted trucks with one shared cab. The V8 GAZ-53 became the heavier model, rated first at 3.5 and later at 4 tonnes. The GAZ-52 was the lighter one, rated at 2.5 tonnes, the same as the GAZ-51 it eventually replaced. Its six-cylinder engine is the most reliable way to tell the two apart, because the bodies differ by only a few millimetres.

The GAZ-52 was built to carry goods in towns and on farms, where good roads were rare. That brief explains its high ground clearance of 265 mm, its simple leaf-spring suspension and its modest engine. The whole range of the maker is in the GAZ catalogue, and its background is in the history of GAZ.

From the 1956 prototype to series production

Development took ten years. The first truck called GAZ-52 appeared in 1956: a GAZ-51 chassis with a new cab and an experimental six-cylinder engine of 59 kW (80 PS). Only one was built. In 1958 the new cab arrived, styled after American trucks of the 1950s, and in 1958–1959 GAZ built a small series of 300 GAZ-52F trucks with the 3,300 mm wheelbase of the GAZ-51.

Several more prototypes followed between 1959 and 1964, including a tractor unit and a flatbed with a different engine. None of them went into production. The GAZ-53 was given priority and went into production in 1961, built alongside the old GAZ-51. Mass production of the GAZ-52 finally began in 1966 with the GAZ-52-03, which had the longer 3,700 mm wheelbase of the GAZ-53.

The shared GAZ cab and the flatbed

The all-metal, two-seat cab sits behind a long bonnet. Its curved one-piece windscreen gave a far wider view than the split, V-shaped glass of the GAZ-51. According to the old 1cars text, both door windows wind down and have swivelling quarter-lights, warm air from the heater can be blown onto the windscreen, and the dashboard carries a speedometer, fuel gauge, coolant temperature and oil pressure gauges and an ammeter. Instead of separate seats there is a bench, with storage for tools under the cushion.

The same source describes small changes over the years. Early trucks had one round mirror on a single bracket, which vibrated; it was replaced by a larger oval mirror on a triple bracket, and a right-hand mirror was added. Cabs were painted sand or khaki at first, then also in turquoise and light brown shades, and from 1978 in blue. In 1984 the grille slots were lengthened and the indicators moved to the sides.

The standard body is a wooden drop-side flatbed. A double-cab version was made by a conversion plant, and tipper bodies came from the SAZ tipper factory.

Engine and gearbox

The engine is a development of the GAZ-51 six, with the same bore, stroke and 3.48-litre displacement. Its low compression ratio of 6.2:1 let it run on 72-octane petrol. The GAZ-52-04 of 1975 used a lightly revised version of the GAZ-51 engine. The old 1cars text links the first trucks of 1958–1959 to an experimental prechamber-torch ignition meant to save up to 20% of fuel; in tests it was hard to start and ran unevenly, and it did not last.

LPG versions could still run on petrol of 76 octane or more. In the 1990s some owners fitted diesel engines to their trucks to cut fuel costs, according to the old 1cars text.

GAZ-52-03 specifications in metric and imperial units

Chassis: suspension, brakes and steering

Both axles are rigid and hang on longitudinal semi-elliptic leaf springs. The front has telescopic hydraulic dampers; the rear has main springs plus helper springs that start working under load. Later trucks mounted the spring ends in rubber cushions, which cut stress on the main leaves, according to the old 1cars text. The same source notes a rear axle with a cam-type limited-slip differential to help on muddy tracks.

The brakes are drums on all four wheels, with hydraulic operation and a hydro-vacuum servo. The steering uses a globoid worm with a double roller and has no power assistance, so the truck is heavy to turn at low speed.

GAZ-52 versions: from the 52-03 to gas-powered trucks

Special bodies included workshop vans, buses for staff transport and fire engines.

GAZ-52 vs GAZ-53: how to tell them apart

The GAZ-53 carries 1,500 kg more and is 20 km/h faster, thanks to its V8 derived from the GAZ-13 Chaika engine. The two trucks' wheels share the same bolt pattern and rim size, so they can be swapped. Other trucks of the time, including the ZIL-130, are compared in our guide to eight Soviet trucks that mattered.

In service and legacy

The GAZ-52 was a farm and municipal truck for three decades. Drivers valued its simple, repairable mechanics, good ground clearance, small size and a quiet gearbox. Its weak points were a cramped cab, no power steering, a long bonnet that hid the road ahead at close range, and low power when loaded. The old 1cars text puts real-world fuel use at about 24 litres per 100 km, higher than the official figure.

Its replacement, the GAZ-3307, arrived in October 1989 on the GAZ-53 chassis with a new cab. Many GAZ-52s outlived that change and kept working in villages and on farms.

Buying and preserving a GAZ-52 today

Our verdict: the GAZ-52 suits collectors who want a simple, cheap-to-run Soviet truck and enthusiasts restoring farm vehicles; the GAZ-53 is the better pick if you need more payload or speed. Most survivors are short-wheelbase 52-04 trucks. The early long-wheelbase 52-03 is rarer.

When you inspect one, check:

• the frame and the cab floor and sills for rust;
• the engine for smoke and oil leaks, and the cooling system;
• the gearbox synchromesh on third and fourth gear;
• spring hangers, kingpins and the hydraulic brakes with their vacuum servo;
• whether an LPG or diesel conversion is fitted and documented.

Parts are still common because many components are shared with the GAZ-53 and GAZ-51. Other Soviet commercial vehicles can be browsed in our trucks section.