Moskvich-403

In the early 1960s, the MZMA plant was preparing for the transition to a fundamentally new model compared to the 402–407 family Moskvichs (body 425) produced at that time — the future Moskvich-408 . However, the preparation of its production was delayed, and most of the units of the new car were already ready for development, and only production lines for stamping and welding of body panels were delayed, as the most expensive and time-consuming component of production equipment in manufacturing. Under such conditions, it was decided to launch the “transitional” model - in the old “425th” body, but with a completely new subframe, on which the power unit, front suspension and steering from the future “408” model were installed.

The body of the Moskvich-403 car almost completely repeated the late M-407, with the exception of the front shield and sub-engine frame (subframe), which was borrowed from the promising M-408 model along with front suspension and steering. External differences in the bulk of the cars produced came down to a different configuration of the rear lights, which became three-component instead of two-component ones, and - in the cabin - another steering column, with a direction indicator switch located on the left (and not above, like the M-407), a modified gear shift mechanism (the gearshift shaft was made concentric to the steering shaft, instead of coaxially located on the side of it on the M-407, which significantly reduced the level of vibration of the lever) and a new steering wheel, with a V-shaped hub and a ring of sounds wow signal. In addition, a windshield washer appeared in the body equipment, but at the same time the wiper drive remained mechanical, from the gear on the engine camshaft.

Only a relatively small number of cars of the M-403E modification (the so-called "export", but in fact both design options were often offered for export - as different configuration options) had a different design - a wide radiator grille with rectangular contours, modified ("two-story") sidewall molding with lacquer insert, taillights painted in body color, outside rear-view mirrors. It is interesting to note that, by car critics abroad, an abundance of chrome decor of an export modification was contrary to the expectations of the car's creators, negatively - in the early sixties the fashion for rich chrome and multicolor colors already passed, the trend was simple and clean, like the one being prepared for release "Moskvich-408", the design of which abroad received, on the contrary, quite positive reviews.

The engine was initially installed on the M-407 model, until May 1964, it fully corresponded to the Moskvich-407, with the exception of the oil rough filter, which had a vertical arrangement. Since May 1964, the M-407D1 engine was installed, which was a transitional model to the M-408 motor. He had increased the diameter of the crankshaft main necks (57 mm versus 51 mm), fixed half rings, a crankshaft rear oil seal appeared (previously it was replaced by a bead with oil-driven thread).

The front suspension received two ball joints on each side (for the M-402 and M-407, the suspension had one ball joint and one cylindrical pin on each side). To adjust the static camber of the wheels, special gaskets began to be used in it at the attachment point of the upper arm, instead of the eccentric bushings in the lower heads of the struts, which, in the presence of wear, allowed an adjustment violation during operation due to spontaneous skipping of the locking teeth. A three-link steering trapezoid appeared in the steering instead of a two-link, providing a more accurate steering geometry and minimizing the change in wheel alignment when driving uneven roads.

Instead of floor clutch and brake pedals, cutouts in the floor under which often cause water to enter the passenger compartment, suspended ones were used, as a result of which the main brake cylinder was transferred under the hood to the front panel (previously located under the floor), and the clutch drive became hydraulic instead of a mechanical one, with a master cylinder also mounted on the front end shield. For the first time in the domestic automotive industry, self-regulating wheel brake cylinders (“self-driving”) were used that did not require adjustment of the clearance between the drum and pads during operation .

The wheels remained the same as on the M-402 and M-407, with rims of a landing dimension of 15 inches and tires with a dimension of 5.60-15 of the M-59 model (tubeless).

The appearance of the new model, as usual, was accompanied by a sharp rise in price - the price tag for Moskvich-403 was set at 3,400 rubles, instead of 2,500 rubles that were requested for the M-407. As a result, many waiting lists, having received a postcard for a new car, refused to buy, and the line as a whole moved sharply forward.

Moskvich-403 was produced in parallel with both Moskvich-407 (until 1963) and Moskvich-408 (through the summer of 1965).

• Moskvich-403 - the basic model with a sedan body, was produced in 1963-1965;
• Moskvich-403T - modification for working in a taxi . It was equipped with a counter, a green lamp in the right corner of the windshield and "checkers" on the front doors;
• Moskvich-403E - export modification, differed in the shape of the radiator grill with corner sidelights, other moldings, taillights and a bird above the rear license plate;
• Moskvich-403U - modification for the southern climate;
• Moskvich-424 is a station wagon based on the Moskvich-423N model with angular frames of the rear doors and a solid gutter running along the entire roof. The rear seat folded, forming a cargo compartment with a length of 1473 mm and a width of 1220 mm. With the rear seats folded down, the station wagon could carry 250 kg of cargo and two people, including the driver. A horizontal niche was intended for the spare wheel under the floor. The rear springs were 5 mm wider than the base sedan. A rear door with a loading height of 760 mm opened on the left side. The wagon was produced in 1963-1965;
• Moskvich-432 - a van based on the Moskvich-424 station wagon with a partition behind the front seats that separates the cargo compartment, a single side, angular punching in place of windows and a solid gutter along the entire roof. The van was produced in 1963-1965.

• Moskvich 403 - Technical information, drawings
• The new "Moskvich". Advertising "Moskvich-403" for the Scandinavian countries.