Dear Tom and Ray:

My wife is very upset with me because I lost the gas cap from her 1961
Plymouth Valiant. She doesn't drive the car because it doesn't have power
steering. But it has great sentimental value because her mother drove it
for 29 years -- until she was 93 years old. I have tried to find a
replacement cap with no luck. As you may recall, the gas cap on this car is
part of the body. It fits flush with the left, rear fender. Can you offer
any suggestions? -- Roger

TOM: Oh, boy, are you in trouble, Rog! I can see that you've already
figured out what the next 35 years of marriage are going to be like if you
DON'T find a replacement cap -- soon!

RAY: The best place I know to look for stuff like a '61 Valiant gas cap is
Hemmings Motor News (1-800-CAR-HERE). Hemmings is a monthly publication
full of ads for old cars, old car parts, and groups offering oblique social
interaction to geeks who spend their lives obsessed with old cars.

TOM: And you'll be doing your wife a tremendous favor by finding her a
source for old Valiant parts in Hemmings. That way, she'll know where to
get replacements for future parts that break, rust or disappear due to
husbandly neglect.

RAY: Alternatively, Roger, my brother owns a '63 Dodge Dart, which happens
to use the same exact gas cap. And if you send me 50 bucks and tell me what
color Krylon you want it sprayed, I'm sure I'll be able to "find" one for
you and have it in the mail by tomorrow morning.

TOM: Oh, no you don't!