Packard Forum Index » ZIS, ZIL, and other Packard Cousins!

In some respects the ZIL-111 design is even more conservative than the Packard. It looks like a pastische of several US cars, particularly in the greenhouse - the windshield and it's trim looks right off a '55 Imp - but, while looking overall most like a Packard, it is its own design, and one that has worn rather well over time, IMO, because of it's conservatism. Some of the trim detailing is a bit clumsy or heavy handed, like the massive chome plastered over the tops of the front fenders by the headlights, the Chaika is better in that respect, again IMO. I just wish I could see all these big USSR cars in person more conveniently! Cars can look so much better in person than in pictures sometimes.

Beautiful front end shot! One can see the Chaika has just a skosh (slang for "a tiny little bit") of forward curvature to the hooded headlights, like the '56 Senior Packards, while the big ZIL is like the '55s, without it. Did the 2 cars, ZIL 111 and Chaika, share any parts in common?... I noticed some Chaikas have the same double side trim as the ZIL on the last page.

On another note, all of these cars are rare, even in Russia - my son's room-mate in graduate school was born in Eastern Ukraine and still has family in Russia that he visits. He told me he saw a ZIL only once in his life, at a wedding in Leningrad.

Hmm, I see a fuel filter, some belts, hose clamps, and what looks like a coil and a fuel pump.

Perhaps someone is planing a long trip (maybe a run for the border) or on the way to try and start an old barn find.

Is that a pushbutton shift mechanism for the Chaika in there, too?

Fascinating.

This unit is a good bit larger than the control for the '56 Packard, which makes me wonder if it is more like the mechanical pushbutton system used by 1956-1964 Chrysler product and another with the 1957-1958 Mercury. More recently, I've heard that some 1958-1962 Ramblers also had a mechanical pushbutton shift for their automatic transmission.

Yet, I see some electrical terminals at the rear of the framework on this unit.

Tell us more about your pushbutton system!

The Chrysler and Mercury pushbutton controls also moved a cable.

Not sure about the Rambler.

This Pushbutton system/shift mechanism is interesting, I have hold in my hands the Plymouth Power Flit system but this is really somewhat different. Pleas tell us more Gerd.
Actually the reason why you would find some spares in ZIS,ZIL and other USSR vehicle in the trunk, is because some parts like the fuel pump, belts etc, sometimes didn't work as they suppose to be. When on the road you had to have some spares whit because lets say: if your fuel pump just got broken somehow, you had to fix it your self or you where just screwed, there was basically no one to help you.
And being stuck whit a ZIL 111 was also a potential target for car thiefs. And so much as some old school truck drivers told me that was serious buisness and you rather didn't wanted to meet those guys.

The light arrangement is interesting. I would think the buttons would be all same when nothing pushed in but then would go bright instead of out or dim when it is in use. I can't remember how Packard did theirs now, so will have to look.

Any chance the extra switch is for backup lights or is the starter interlock so it would only start in neutral? Except for Packard & Edsel, just about everyone else with pushbuttons were mechanical if memory serves--so the Russians were in good company--and if history is a judge, much better reliability. Rolls Royce had (has) an electric shift motor operated by switches and the regular lever but don't know how well that worked.

It looks like two separate switches. Does the bar hit the red material under the contacts and bring in both switches or just the contact itself? Since reverse and parade only, I could see it working lights. Do they flash the lights when in parade speed like they sometimes do here when a bigshot is in a limo? Would be interesting to see the wiring diagram but guess without knowing any Russian or Cryllic characters, probably would be a waste.

That push button mechanism is very similar to the 3 spd TorqueFlite that was on my '57 Plymouth wagon. I never had the 2 spd PowerFlite apart on my '58 DeSoto so I can't say on that one, but I'd guess it was very likely the same except with 4 buttons intsead of 5.