Anybody from So.California rmember Mel Burns Ford in Long beach?

I remember Mel Burns Ford. I've been looking for a pair of license plate frames from Geo. M Sutton Ford in Inglewood for years. Found them for 55 down but I need 56 up.

 

Mr. Edsel, to correct your paragraph regarding Les Ritchey; his Holman-Moody prepped '65 was upgraded to a '66 by Bill Stroppe Ent. with the addition of the SOHC 427 and other light weight parts for '66. The car was painted in a genuine "candy apple red" with a lime gold base coat as related to me by Randy Ritchey while I was doing the gold leaf lettering on the car. Unfortunately Les was killed in this car during testing, not a Corvair. There was also a '65-'66 mustang, 289 hi-po w/automatic at his shop that was sponsored by Mel Burns Ford and driven by Ron Root, the shop manager. This Mustang was a medium metallic blue with chrome mylar lettering.

 

I remember Mel Burns Ford and Norman Ford (in Pomona, I have a license plate frame). Did business with Les Ritchey in the early 60’s. Les was killed at Fontana. Les’s father in law was a customer at Liberty Ford in La Verne in the late 60’s-70’s.

 

My response may be a unique one...I exist because of Mel Burns Ford! In the mid-60s, my dad was salesman Jim Herndon and my mother was cashier Liz Young (later Herndon). I guess he was a pretty successful salesman which caused him to spend a lot of time at the cashiers window . I was born in Feb. 1966. My mom never stopping talking about her 1964 and a half Mustang she ordered and purchased when she worked there. Definitely one of the highlights of her life. It got sold as part of their divorce ‘69/‘70. My dad moved on for long periods at Jim Snow Ford in Cerritos, Theodore Robbins Ford in Costa Mesa, Don Kott Ford in Carson, and ended his career in tow truck sales. My parents both are gone now, but if anyone recalls interacting with them at Mel Burns that would be really cool to hear about.

 

Just thought that I should mention my coveted license plate frame. It came from Horne Motors; the local Ford dealer that burned down in 1963. Thought that it would be the perfect local content 60's era touch for my car but unfortunately it does not fit my 1926 license plate. Now I have to find a nice pre 63 Ford to fix up.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ot-some-let’s-see-them.1180398/#post-13472172


Hello,

Mel Burns was the Ford place to go in Long Beach, because everyone saw the dealer lots on American Avenue. (now, called Long Beach Blvd.) If you wanted any kind of Ford for cruising or for our friends, high performance, Mel Burns was the place to go. It was centrally located along this long stretch of American Avenue that housed plenty of car dealerships, from Downtown Long Beach up American Avenue towards Bixby Knolls.


Our 2nd Long Beach house was two miles to the West, our high school was just on the next big street East, Atlantic Ave. So, it was in our daily cruising grounds to and from high school. When we heard of something new in any of the “hot dealers,” we always stopped and did our version of window shopping. We liked American Avenue due to the fact that we did not have to go very far to get parts for our daily drivers. Several short blocks north towards Bixby Knolls was our favorite barber shop, Osborne’s. With the huge windows, we could get our hair cut and wave to our friends driving by the shop.

My dad started buying his long line of Buick sedans at Boulevard Buick very close to and across the street from Mel Burns Ford. (2000 Long Beach Blvd.)
1881 American Avenue
There have been plenty of hot street cars out of the Mel Burns Ford dealership. Here is a copy of an earlier time, sponsored Ford sedan.


Jnaki

The Mel Burns Ford Dealership was where our friend bought his new, black 1963 Galaxie XL 500 hardtop sedan with a 406/4 speed. If your dad was working in the Spring of 1963, he may have sold the black Galaxie to my friend. It was one of the first 406/4 speed black Galaxies in the whole Long Beach cruising area at the time.
similar, but not the exact one.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/63-galaxie.1140697/page-3#post-13070224

 

Ever go to the Honey Bucket on 4th Street or Pot Holder Restaurant?
Had the pleasure of both places.

 

apound,
Your car was one of two (only) "factory built" '65 Fairlane race cars. The other was the Darrell Droke B/FX Thunderbolt with a SOHC. The car "belonged" to Les but was driven by long time friend Ron Root. YES I do have two license plate frames from there and neither is "perfect". They are extremely rare , even here in CA. Shelby owners are constantly hounding me for them but I feel they should go on "the right" car and haven't let them go yet. Maybe we can work something out.
Randy
apound

 

sorry for dragging this post up from 13 years ago but if you worked there by any chance do you remember Mel buying the 1 and only ever made 1967 Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake to destroy it? It was a 1 off car and apparently it was sold to the dealer who was meant to destroy it back then because it was only built to test out Goodyear tires and when they were done with it somebody was supposed to destroy it. I just can’t see any real car guy doing it and would be cool to hear about if somebody actually saw the car in person.

 

I have a car that was sold through Mel Burns Ford back in 1968. I'd love to visit with you about that car and if you have any recollection of it?