If your pre-driving checklist doesn’t involve hand-cranking a starter, fiddling with a choke, pouring gas into a makeshift tank, and topping off an exposed radiator just to wake up a rusty truck that’s seen better days after decades of use, then you might not be off-roading as ruggedly as you think.
Or at least, you’re not experiencing the same level of ruggedness as the off-roaders in a Soviet-era dump truck featured on Tekniq’s YouTube channel. This ZIL chassis cab truck is likely around 60 years old but still going strong, navigating through wet sand and crossing streams with gusto.
The weathered machine seems to be a dump truck version of the ZIS-150 or ZIL-164, possibly a ZIS-MMZ-885 model. This type could tip its trough to 48 degrees and carry a hefty payload of about 7,700 pounds. The fearless owners of this old ZIL appear to be moving loads of sand by the truckload.
It’s quite surprising that the truck can handle off-roading through sand and streams so well, considering it’s a rear-wheel-drive machine with almost no tread left on its tires. There’s a chance it might be a 6×6 model; before starting, we see the driver turning a wrench at the axle, hinting at its traction capabilities. The truck is powered by a 5.6-liter inline-six engine that barely generates 100 horsepower, but it delivers torque at low RPMs, around 2,400.
Despite its worn appearance, the ZIL works with style, sporting a patchwork of green, yellow, and red paint on its remaining body panels and bumper. It may look like it’s barely holding on, but when you see it in action, you realize this workhorse has a few more decades left in it. The lone surviving fender hovers over the front right tire like a half-eaten avocado.
Inside, the ZIL is just as battered and well-used. There’s a gas tank in the front passenger seat, strapped to the door frame. Most of the dashboard is empty, and the exposed five-speed manual transmission is visible. As the truck lumbers forward, the inline-six engine emits a low growl. But this old truck still runs, drives, and off-roads like a champ. What more could we ask for from this rugged relic?
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