The 55er

Just a guess......maybe a on/off control switch for a rear seat speaker if your car is equipped.

I've painted quite a few of these in my life. They are notorious rust buckets. When the seller's pictures only show the upper sections of the car I have to assume this one has rust issues too even if it's in CA. My cousin used to have a Hudson Metropolitan (dealer badged) and I have driven a few of them. They may be cute to some folks but I don't care for them at all. It is not a car for me. $9K seems like a lot for a project. If you are driving down the road and one is coming at you in the opposite direction it will be very apparent that they are awfully small. I'd much prefer an older VW beetle over a Met.

The rectanguler one is a parking light bezel for a 1946-1948 Dodge car.

On 1/22/24 this 1955 Dodge LaFemme was marked SOLD on BAT for $13,850.

Trim pieces that mount under the headlights on a 1941 Cadillac.

A nice clean example but I'd have to question the car's mechanical condition since there's no mention of it anywhere. The battery and the AC belts are missing and there's a chock in front of the left front tire. Was there really a "High Class" Town Sedan model available? Were there "Low Class" New Yorkers available too? I think not, that's just a typical seller embellishment to make this sedan out to be more than it really is. I think if the car runs & drives as it should they would be touting that in the ad. Seems reasonably priced but more information is needed.

I'd expect a $20K car to run and drive perfectly after all those mechanical parts were replaced but the running & driving condition isn't mentioned anywhere. Maybe the car sat for a long time and those replacements were all part of the $2K mechanical wake up. The car is missing the wiper arms & blades in the current pictures and it's evident that some rust repair will be needed in the back up light area. Still a desirable model that shows potential but that's an optimistic price.

The body is full of Bondo and certainly not straight. With all the previous backyard bodywork, I'd say it had a lot of issues long before the tree limb fell on it. Crummy interior too. Was a rustbucket before the windstorm and now there's a lot more damage to fix. Big pass here.

Might be something like a lower left rear fender moulding for a 1942 Dodge, it would go on the driver's side behind the rear wheelwell opening.

There were pink 1954 Dodges but the actual LaFemme models were only available in 1955 & 1956. IMO if someone had the funds available and wanted to restore the ultimate 1950s Dodge they might consider finding a 1956 coupe or convertible with the factory optional D-500 package. Those things were hot and were advertised as America's acceleration champions.

It's an emergency brake warning light that mounts above the pull out brake handle, it looks like the ones that were used in the mid 50s Oldsmobiles.

When I bought my 1950 Super Six back in 1981, I replaced the clutch because the cork discs were stuck to the flywheel from the car sitting for 18 or so years inside a garage. 43 years later the wet clutch still going strong and I've had no issues with it whatsoever. Several old timers have told me if you maintain the oil level in that Hudson wet clutch it will last forever. So far it's worked for me.

Hudson stepdowns are unibody.

A very non-authentic interior, seats & door panels should be more of a tan striped cloth material.

That's a 1964 Cadillac, not a 1963.

This might be one of those rare occasions where the owner's somewhat tasteful modifications have gone in the right direction and actually enhanced the car's looks to make it a little more more desirable, interesting and attractive. A 1950 Plymouth Suburban all metal wagon is a pretty plain (read: dull, boring) design from the factory that could definitely use some help. I mean almost anything would be an improvement. If you added a real 1950 Plymouth front bumper along with the correct stainless fender mouldings and some stone guards, it might pass for a real deal factory original to the untrained eye. The outside sunvisor just doesn't look right and I'd remove it. I would get rid of the roof rack too and I'd even consider (gasp!) putting a surfboard up there. I don't know about the $18K price tag but I think potentially this could be a really cool car. And would someone please replace that awful upper radiator hose and put the correct one on there?

You have got to be kidding me.

It's a collectible car but the price is much too high for its condition. For $25-$30K you might be able to find a nice 1955-1956 New Yorker or Imperial coupe that's ready to drive and enjoy. And if you were to buy this $24.5K LaFemme and factor in all the expensive restoration costs you could probably get yourself a decent Chrysler C300 or a 300B and you would end up owning a masculine car instead of a feminine one. Just looking at the big picture here.

My first thought was that from an economic standpoint wouldn't it make more sense to restore a 1955 Dodge Custom Royal convertible than buying this super expensive 1955 LaFemme for $24.5K that needs a lot of work? Those top of the line converts are pretty scarce too and even more desirable. And you might find a lower mileage better equipped car with accessories like PS, PB, and a 4-bbl carb.........I'm also thinking maybe you could get yourself a 1955 Dodge 2-door hardtop project car in like the $6-$8K range. You could paint it pink & white and few people would even know the difference.

Again, just a guess. I hope somebody recognizes it.

It's a 1954 model. The 1954-1956 Cadillacs each had their own distinctive styling differences. Sellers of these Caddys should show pictures of the back of the car showing the rear bumper ends. The dual exhausts exited through there and they were prone to corrosion. Repair & rechroming those ends and the replacement of some of the smaller internal pieces can get a little pricey today.

Accoring to the Mopar parts books, the part number 1832056 that's visible on the back of Willy's bezel is closest to the part number for the 1832043 assembly that's listed for 1958 Chryslers. 1958 DeSoto assemblies have a much different bezel part number but they do share the same lens. 1959 Chryslers have much different part numbers for both the assembly and the (apparently flatter) lens. With those round scalloped edges on the sides of the bezel I believe the correct application for this lamp assembly would be 1958 Chrysler Windsors, Saratogas & New Yorkers.

This same car was previously listed for sale on Ebay by Orphan Cars in Abington, MA for $13,900. It was marked SOLD three times from Nov. 8-Dec. 7, 2023. There is a video of it that can be viewed on YouTube from that MA seller if anyone's interested. However, the pictures in the current AZ ad are the exact same pictures from the earlier MA Ebay seller so something's up, i would proceed with extreme caution on this one. As a sideline I don't think this car is that nice and it's certainly not detailed enough in the engine & trunk areas to justify it's $16K price tag. And 1958 was the last year Oldsmobiles had vacuum wiper motors (end of last paragraph in ad.) You can clearly see see the correct electric motor in place on the firewall. BEWARE.

At least the previous owner was a gentleman and not some scoudrel or degenerate.😄 Looks like a decent old car for someone to fix up. GLWTS.

There's a reason that that the vehicle was sent to the yard in the first place. Over the years the most desirable parts were likely removed. Vehicles pictured are what the owner perceives to be the most desirable models. Might be solid bodies but little else. Best advice as always is to BUY THE BEST CAR YOU CAN AFFORD and avoid those common everyday models that will be long term projects. And find something that's a lot closer to home.