Dear Tom and Ray:

I own a 1950 Chevrolet four door DeLuxe. This car has been in the garage for 25 years, and the gasoline tank has rusted away. Where can I get a gas tank for this car? Ernest

Ray: We have two suggestions, Ernest. One is to look in Hemmings Motor News (available at some news stands, or call them at 1-800-CAR HERE). Hemmings is a telephone-book-sized listing of ads for old cars, old parts for old cars, and people who sell old parts for old cars. It's designed especially for wackos like you Ernest, who want to keep old jalopies on the road.

Tom: The other alternative is to visit a welder. You can have your old tank repaired, if it's not completely see-through. Or, you can simply have a new one made. And it doesn't have to be the exact same size and shape of the one you take out. It just has to fit in the same space. So if you're not concerned about having "original parts," take your old tank (and a couple of empty 1.5 liter cans of Felipo Berrio Extra Virgin Olive Oil for raw materials) over to a local welder and ask him to make you one.

Ray: And when you go, bring some nice, fresh fruit and a box of El Productos (every guy who works on gas tanks seems to smoke those things). If you're planning to keep this car, you might as well make sure you're on his good side.

Changing your oil is the cheapest insurance you can buy for your car, but how often should you change it? Find out by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It! To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1995 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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