Dear Tom and Ray:

I'm in the process of restoring a 1965 Dodge Dart, and my only problem so far is trying to find weather stripping for the trunk and the doors. I called all the Dodge dealers in my area, and every one of them said "no way. No parts for this car." Can you help? Esteban

Tom: Sure. I'm not surprised that Dodge dealers don't want you anywhere near their lots. If you drive up in a heap like that with the name "Dodge" on the back, some potential customer might mistake it for last year's Spirit.

Ray: What you need, Esteban, is a copy of "Hemmings Motor News," which is published every month in Bennington, Vermont. They tout themselves as the "bible of the old car hobby." And you'll find your weather stripping in there.

Tom: A copy of Hemmings is about the size of the Cincinnati phone book. But instead of useful things like phone numbers and addresses, they have thousands of ads for old cars and old car parts, and all kinds of interesting stuff for wackos like you, Esteban. In fact, in the latest issue, I saw at least three ads for weather stripping for old Dodges.

Ray: Yeah. And he got so excited, he stayed up all night reading them.

Tom and Ray lead you step by step through the process of finding and buying a reliable used car in their pamphlet How to Buy a Used Car: Things That Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want You to Know. To order, 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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