The classic UAZ Bukhanka (aka Tablet) is very popular in our country. Thousands of hunters, fishermen and just travelers prefer it over sophisticated Japanese jeeps or American Hummers. There are many reasons for this - first of all, the simplicity of the device, the highest reliability and low price. Of course, the car also has certain disadvantages. Fortunately, there are not too many of them, so the undoubted advantages completely cover them. Moreover, eliminating them is not as difficult as you might think. And tuning a UAZ Bukhanka with your own hands is not at all a fairy tale, as it seems at first glance.
Comfort is the first priority on long journeys
Of course, one of the main disadvantages of the Bukhanka is the complete lack of comfort. Well, the car was created primarily for the needs of the military, so the creators thought about comfort as the last thing. Well, hunters and travelers are not at all averse to relaxing in comfort in their car after a hard day.
It is relatively easy to remodel the interior of a UAZ Bukhanka with your own hands; any owner who has hands and a minimum amount of knowledge can do it. There are hundreds of tuning options. In our case, we preferred to cover the existing lying areas with foam rubber. It took a little time and money, but it turned out quite well, now four or five people can sleep comfortably in the cabin, which is important for a trip that takes several days.
Deadly fatigue after a day behind the wheel is a constant scourge for drivers of all types of UAZ vehicles. That's why we also redesigned the driver's seat. We took a more complicated route, that is, we did not install a comfortable seat from another car, but decided to cover the existing seat with a layer of additional soft springy material (foam rubber) and provide the back with special lumbar support.
Next, the steering wheel was replaced with a more ergonomic one and it was also supplemented with power steering. This, of course, increases the possibility of a breakdown, but now the shoulder pain will go away forever, even if it is necessary to travel hundreds of kilometers.
Content
Every year, cars of domestic origin, which at the end of the last millennium were an integral part of every locality, are becoming fewer and fewer. An example is the UAZ Bukhanka - almost a real legend, with high capacity and cross-country ability. Many people know this vehicle for its use in gas emergency service or ambulance.
Recently, quite often this car has been used to create your own limousine.
Downloading from inside and outside
Basically, we just needed a car that could drive on any off-road, so we left the old, injection engine. But in order to increase stability and at the same time reduce pressure on the ground, we installed wider wheels and, accordingly, tires. After all, this provides an additional guarantee that the car will not sit on its belly on a difficult route.
Then it was decided to replace the original bridge with an expanded one taken from the Barca. We also replaced the differentials that have increased friction. This made it possible to get rid of slipping in difficult off-road areas, but at the same time not to burn out the transmission once again. Still, transmission failure is a serious problem for many SUV travelers.
Since, as we have already said, the tuning of the Bukhanka was aimed at off-road use, the installation of a winch was the primary task in external tuning. It can be a matter of five minutes, whether you just need to choose the right load capacity.
To protect the front bumper, we installed a guard, which, by the way, was made independently. We needed a stainless steel pipe, an angle grinder and a welding machine. For those who have experience in welding, making the same will not be difficult.
Additional optics will also not hurt on the road at night, and will add a certain zest to the UAZ. Its installation again did not take us much time and effort.
And as a result of all the manipulations done, we got this UAZ all-terrain vehicle:
Verdict
Of course, there are hundreds of options for tuning this beautiful car, and only one of them is described above. But already on its basis we can draw a conclusion. Every driver who is familiar with tools and has at least some imagination can improve the UAZ Bukhanka with their own hands. But if you need more serious tuning, then you shouldn’t take on the job without in-depth skills and special tools. It is better to entrust such a responsible task to professionals. Yes, you will have to pay a decent amount for such an upgrade, but as a result you will get a magnificent car that will drive tens of thousands of kilometers and which will take you along any road.
Finally, we invite you to also watch a video demonstrating UAZ Bukhanka tuning:
UAZ “loaf” (UAZ-452) is a particularly popular model among lovers of country holidays. The vehicle overcomes obstacles well and is very roomy.
But it also has several significant drawbacks - a nondescript appearance, an uncomfortable steering wheel and seats, and low strength.
Vehicle tuning is usually complex and includes the following tasks:
- body painting, airbrushing;
- replacing wheels with a version with a better tread pattern;
- rear and front suspension lift;
- additional equipment with a winch;
- installation of a body kit (roof rack, kangaroo, ladder to the rear door);
- installation of a pre-heater;
- equipping with additional light;
- installation of a more powerful motor;
- tinting rear and side windows;
- replacement of front and rear bumpers.
Tuning can be done with your own hands. You can look at photos and videos of cars that have undergone repairs to determine exactly what changes should be made and how best to do it.
Engine
The first UAZ-452 models had a pre-installed UMZ-451 engine. Later, the manufacturer made changes and began installing internal combustion engines from the Zavolzhsky Motor Plant, labeled as ZMZ-4021 (402) and ZMZ-409.
There is no point in upgrading engines from UMP, but ZMZ products lend themselves well to modification. To increase power, it is advisable to remove 4 mm from the cylinder head surface by milling the surface. Accordingly, the starting device will be able to operate correctly on AI-92 fuel.
When assembling the piston group, select connecting rods and pistons according to their weight. The difference between them should not be more than five grams. It is advisable to process the inlet holes in the block head and manifold with a milling cutter.
You can also replace the original engine with models from Nissan, Toyota or Mercedes cars. You will have to replace the transfer case and gearbox, make changes to the suspension and adjust the units to the axles.
Recommendations for body preparation
How the installation work will proceed depends on the characteristics of the selected insulating material. However, in all cases the preparatory stage will be approximately the same.
It consists of doing the following:
- First you need to dismantle all the casing. Please note that you should be careful when performing this work, as some finishing elements will be needed in the future even if the interior is changed.
- Particular attention should be paid to wiring. When dismantling the casing, you need to be careful, since minor damage to the wires can lead to significant problems: replacing the wire is not difficult, but finding the location of the damage or the faulty wire itself will be quite difficult.
- In order to achieve high efficiency from the insulating material, all surfaces must be coated. Particular attention is paid to the wall that separates the engine from the rest of the vehicle interior.
- Dismantling must be carried out right down to the metal.
- After completing the dismantling work, you should inspect the body and determine its condition, and, if necessary, carry out repair work.
- Before laying any insulating material, the surface is first cleaned of dirt and then degreased.
- Separately, ventilation ducts should be highlighted, which cannot be sealed with insulating material.
In general, there are no problems with dismantling, since the panels are fastened using the usual method: using screws, bolts, fasteners and other common fastening materials. To disassemble the front panel, you can use the vehicle's instruction manual.
Suspension
Despite the fact that the vehicle can withstand any obstacles well, you can easily get stuck in impassable mud. To travel on rough terrain, the suspension is subjected to lifting - ground clearance is increased due to special spacers for springs.
You can also use additional leaf springs. Just buy a lifting kit (price from three to five thousand), and you won’t have to buy anything else yourself.
The body itself also needs to be raised relative to the road by placing additional spacers between the frame and chassis. The body and frame are connected with bolts and nuts. It is usually difficult to remove them, since the elements become covered with rust and stick to each other.
Please note: if you lift the body too much, you risk tipping it over. The car will lose stability.
Application of polystyrene
Quite often polystyrene is used as an insulating material. It has been used to solve the problem under consideration for the past few years.
Its features include:
1. Low cost is due to the peculiarities of production. 2. High thermal insulation characteristics. If we consider this material in comparison with others that can also be used in the case under consideration, then it is significantly superior to others in efficiency. 3. Does not react to exposure to high humidity, which can also be called a fairly important point. 4. Easy to use.
When choosing polystyrene, it is recommended to give preference to sheets that have a thickness of 40-50 millimeters. You can find various versions on sale; when choosing, pay attention to:
1. Flexibility. 2. Surface integrity.
If the sheets do not have high flexibility, then they cannot be used to insulate surfaces that are in different planes. As with other materials, thermal insulation with polystyrene is carried out, all ventilation openings should be left open. In this way, you can eliminate the possibility of mold and mildew forming on the surface of the cladding, since ventilation is necessary to prevent the greenhouse effect.
However, one should also take into account the presence of a significant drawback. The material is highly flammable, which significantly reduces the safety of movement in a vehicle. You should also take into account the fact that when the body heats up strongly, there is a possibility of releasing harmful substances to the human body. Therefore, in some cases it is advisable to pay attention to other insulating materials.
Salon
The original seats in the UAZ are extremely uncomfortable, so first of all you need to replace them. It’s better to immediately install seats from another car or foreign car; modifications from relatives are pointless.
It all comes down to the lack of space in the front passenger and driver's seats. As an alternative, you can use seats from:
| Vehicle model | Price, rub.) |
| Moskvich 2141 | 1000-3000 |
| VAZ Oka | 2000-5000 |
| Lada 2109 | 1000-4000 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 6000-17000 |
| Opel Astra | 5000-15000 |
The main thing is that the seats are narrow, otherwise they simply will not fit into the cabin. The height of the seats should also be low, otherwise it will be impossible to sit behind the wheel.
If you plan to use the vehicle for fishing and hunting trips, we recommend organizing sleeping places and installing a table where you can have a snack. There is light in the rear passenger compartment. To save energy, it is better to use LED lights rather than regular interior lamps.
The inconvenient standard steering wheel can be replaced with a component from the Gazelle. You can also look for specially adapted steering wheels in car stores. As a last resort, just use braid.
What materials should not be used to insulate a car?
It is not recommended to use polystyrene foam, as it breaks and crumbles easily. Like expanded polystyrene, polystyrene foam begins to smolder at a temperature of +65 degrees Celsius, releasing hydrocyanic acid, which is hazardous to health. It cannot be used when insulating a roof, since in hot weather the metal surface can become very hot. Or before the summer season you will have to remove the thermal insulation.
It is not recommended to use polystyrene foam to insulate a car.
But unlike mineral wool, polystyrene foam does not emit fine dust that settles in the lungs and irritates the skin. When used in a country cottage, mineral wool is in a static state and does not pose a threat. When traveling by car, under the influence of vibrations, harmful particles begin to break through the casing.
It is not recommended to use felt to insulate a car.
Specialized thermal insulation for UAZ cars, with a relatively small thickness, retains temperature well. Felt, batting and other improvised means do not give sufficient effect. These materials strongly absorb moisture, which is unacceptable in a car.
Dampness in the interior will cause rust to appear on the body if you choose insulation made from natural fibers. Metal parts must be treated against corrosion before laying insulation. But it is better not to cover the metal with butumen mastics, as they quickly collapse.
External tuning
Straightening and welding work negatively affects the appearance of the body. Since iron is susceptible to corrosion, it must be treated with drying oil and red lead, or a special compound.
To protect the body from impacts, as well as provide space for transporting cargo, you can install power bumpers, kangaroos, and a roof rack. Suspension elements from the RIF company are especially popular. For example, it will be possible to attach a winch to the power front bumper.
Install additional light. You can place the headlights not only on the roof, but also on the kangaroo. Give preference to LED lamps: their light is natural, they last longer and consume very little energy.
You can paint your car almost any color. Airbrushing looks interesting, as does camouflage painting.
Charged loaf limousine: UAZ-3909
This “loaf”, by all indications, is a limousine. Moreover, the tuning was done with your own hands! And, what’s the funniest thing, it also drives well... “Do you know why the UAZ-loaf has 3 lamps and any capacity of 50 grams?” - the designer of the Ulyanovsk automobile plant asked me a question, unscrewing the lampshades and carefully pouring a traditional Russian drink into them.
It happened at the start of an extreme trophy raid in the Leningrad region, it was cold, and snowflakes flew from the sky through the open window. Then I suddenly realized why only in the Russian Federation a car like a “loaf” will always be popular.
“We wish it to be cool!” – that’s exactly what the order for tuning this UAZ sounded like. After all, you want to not only communicate in nature, but with comfort. So that the interior of the UAZ Loaf is at its best! The standard Ulyanovsk SUV lacks it, to put it mildly. However, for a certain amount of money in the Moscow tuning studio “Technoservice-O”, experts undertook to make a hunting and fishing off-road limousine with advanced capabilities from a simple “loaf”.
Loaf winch, which acts as a crane. An interesting idea from tuning engineers.
Positive disc offset, portal axles and, naturally, a suspension lift, combined with a body lift on spacers in the front and a subframe in the rear, allowed the wheels to fit painlessly into the arches. SUPERSWAMPER Bogger tires measuring 35x14.50/16 were installed on 16-diameter wheels with a width of 10 inches. And even with the greatest articulation and the steering wheel turned out, they do not rest against them. Almost completely. In order for the car to be able to be driven, the suspensions were equipped with dual Rancho 5000 shock absorbers front and rear.
Reinforced suspension and shock absorbers.
Winch on the rear bumper.
They decided not to offend the pilot. He was given a steering wheel from the Sobol, mounted on a tilt-adjustable column. The ZF hydraulic booster helps to rotate the steering wheel. Instruments help the pilot monitor the behavior of the off-road aircraft. There are a lot of them, you can’t tell about them all in the article, so look at the photos. And the pilot sits on a throne, which at first I suspected was a leather seat from BMW. The designers were too proud that the seat was original, they simply found a place where they could make luxurious chairs out of UAZ torture chairs. With excellent lumbar support, by the way. And the pilot will certainly need comfort, since his work is solid - there are so many buttons and toggle switches all around that it dazzles the eyes! Moreover, the car has 2 electrical systems, and they are completely separate. 2 batteries, 2 generators, so in any case the pilot has 2 emergency switches to turn everything off once and for all!
Such a harsh armored car! Our UAZ loaf will pass anywhere!
The rollers match the rest of the car and weigh accordingly. You can't do without a crane!
The interior of the UAZ Bukhanka has become luxury - aluminum everywhere!
Leather interior for UAZ Bukhanka.
Table inside Loaf's salon.
Leather sofa for guests hunting or fishing in a UAZ, made with your own hands!
