18 Dec Spanner Works: GSM Flamingo

A regular feature by senior workshop technician JP du Plessis outlining the activities of FMM’s workshop personnel who are responsible for repairing, renovating, refurbishing and restoring the museum’s large and varied collection of vehicles. This month, JP gets the bird… 

FMM’s GSM Flamingo is one of three known surviving Taunus-engined Flamingos out of the near 150 that were built. And while it may show signs of its age, it stands proud and is a tribute to some commendable South African automotive imagination and expertise.  

The car was scheduled for its regular maintenance and was prepped for a test drive to get the fluids warm and ready to drain. After the warm-up, it was found that it was also not running 100% smoothly. The carburettor definitely needed some work. So, before the car was lifted to thoroughly drain the engine, gearbox and diff oils, the carburettor came off to spend some time in the ultrasonic cleaner.  Once out of the ultrasonic bath, new gaskets were made and the jets were individually cleaned with acetone and compressed air. After all the sump plugs were refitted, along with the new engine oil filter, fresh lubricants were then filled into the engine, gearbox and diff and the carburettor was also reinstalled. It was then also decided to flush and bleed through new brake fluid to ensure the vehicle would stop when required… 

With everything installed and filled to specification, the car was started to warm it up and then tune the carburettor to provide a smooth idle and linear acceleration. It was then test driven on the estate to confirm that it had been adjusted properly and is now ready for use until the next service.

For further info on this Flamingo, logon to https://www.fmm.co.za/collection-in-action-gsm-flamingo/