Two Jeeps at the Lyon Air Museum 'Military Vehicle Event' in Orange County, CAMilitary Vehicle Event and Tire Gauge!

A few weekends ago Lyon Air Museum hosted their second Military Vehicle event and I took the Jeep out to the event! A full recap of the event is included in this update. And then a look at a wartime Jeep Tire Pressure Gauge with a comparison to another wartime tire gauge.

Happy Veterans Day to all Vets out there!
It’s been a bit over a month since the last update, and things have been a bit slow on the Jeep front lately. But finally, there’s something to post about! Let’s jump right in.

Even though there’s no much happening with the Jeep, I still try to maintain a weekly drive through the area. That way the Jeep doesn’t just sit in the garage and the fluids get cycled through the system. She’s almost to 1,000 miles since I got her driving again in 2019! While she might be a ‘garage queen’ (as some say), she does get driven more than most people I know who have Jeeps.

A few months ago, I was contacted and told that Lyon Air Museum would be having their second Military Vehicle Event in their front parking lot on a Saturday in late October. I immediately signed up my Jeep for the event. When the previous one took place in 2019, I tried to have my Jeep ready for the event but just couldn’t get it done in time (see that update here: https://1944gpw.warbirdphotos.us/blog/lyon-air-museum-military-vehicle-event/). It’s been a bit since the last event, so I cleaned her up.

Like last time, I borrowed the 20 foot Haulmark trailer so I wouldn’t have to take down the canvas top.

This trailer is huge, enough to almost fit two Jeeps! There’s even room for a tool box and bench up front. I’m currently looking for a trailer like this, but smaller so it just fits my Jeep.

I had someone ask for photos the next time I have the Jeep in the trailer, so I put together a few shots to show how well it fits.

Most of these trailers are the same width and height. It’s the length that varies.

There’s enough room on either side to walk through.

I also had a request to show how I tie down the Jeep in the trailer. I put the Jeep in gear once it’s in the trailer. I then put the chalks on the rear wheel.

I use the front an rear axles to strap down the Jeep. Since the trailer is so long, the tie downs on the trailer floor don’t quite line up how I’d like, so the rear straps do hit the wheel.

But, this keeps the Jeep in place and is much better than using the frame/bumpers to strap a Jeep down as those can cause wear to the springs and shocks. I didn’t get a shot of the front axle, but I basically do the same thing being very careful NOT to strap over the brake lines, that would be very bad.

Arriving early at Lyon Air Museum, I was greeted with a beautiful 1940 Packard staff car out front of the museum.

They had me park the Jeep next to the staff car. The museum is at John Wayne Airport, Orange County on the other side of the airport from the terminals.

Not long after, another Jeep showed up. I got to work putting the display I brought together. Since this event was about the vehicles, I brought the large info sign I made (more on that here: https://1944gpw.warbirdphotos.us/blog/ammo-crate-radio-gpw-display-sign-flea-market-finds/ )

Here’s a look inside the Jeep with what all I brought. I wanted to keep it Jeep themed.

Three original manuals. TM9-803 on the Jeep from 1944, 1945 ORD 9 supply catalog for the Jeep, and a rare Ford parts list for the Jeep. I also had my original glove box with original data plates on display.

I brought my ammo crate radio as well and had it playing various WW2 V-Discs and assorted WW2 advertisements. I also had various ‘interruptions’ with actual wartime headlines. More on the radio: https://1944gpw.warbirdphotos.us/blog/ammo-crate-radio-gpw-display-sign-flea-market-finds/

I also brought the various accessories/spare tools that I’ve collected so far (it’s slowly accumulating). I had a spare original U bolt with an F stamp to show to the guests.

So, let’s take a tour of the event. Reenactors from the Historical Unit of Southern California (HUSC) and the 82nd Airborne Living History Association were on hand with a great display showcasing Airborne uniforms/weapons along with Army Air Force items.

This really amazing 1940 Packard Staff Car brought a bit of elegance to the event. It’s for sale at the moment, I wish I could buy it! It’s incredible.

With correct hubcaps and a great paint job, this is exactly the civilian-turned-military car I’d want.

My 1944 GPW Jeep was there, and next to it a nice April 1942 GPW.

As the sun came in and out, it warmed up the tone of my shots. But here’s both the Jeeps together. We had the engines displayed the entire time, which drew a lot of interest.

Yet another Jeep, this one another GPW from 1943 as I recall. This one was done up in the 9th Air Force, 98th Bomb Group, 345th Squadron who flew B-24 Liberators in Italy. The group famously attacked the oil fields of Ploiesti.

He had a heavily modified Korean War era Jeep trailer that he turned into a camper.

The most unusual and rare vehicles goes to this 1943 GPA ‘Seep’ amphibious vehicle.

I’ve seen it once before in the past, but it’s always a treat to see one. Basically a boat with a Jeep inside. In great condition too!

These ‘G504’s (Jeeps were G503s) were built by Ford from 1942 to 1943. 12,778 were built, but unlike the DUKW (‘the ‘Duck’), these did not perform well in the field.

They had a pretty bad reputation, even though they did participate in the Sicily landings in September of 1943. Some saw limited use in the Pacific and North Africa as well.

The engine is essentially the exact same as a normal Jeep, just with a different airflow and modified radiator for water usage.

It’s pretty cool to see in person, would love to go on a lake in one of these!

And that was it, sadly, for the vehicles that showed up. Unfortunately, while several others had said they’d come to the event, they didn’t show. But it was still nice to have the vehicles that did make it. Let’s pop inside the museum to see what’s in there.

Lyon Air Museum has some incredible pristine aircraft on display including some rarities like this A-26 Invader. They have an extensive collection of vehicles as well, and on exhibit at the moment are many early 1920s/1930s vehicles.

There are several military vehicles in the collection as well. Next to the B-17G Flying Fortress is a 1939 German Vid Tempo Gelaendewagen (G1200).

The museums has two Jeeps in the collection. This unusually painted 1943 GPW radio Jeep has a lot of original F marked parts. It also has an original wartime trailer.

Next to their American Airlines DC-3 is a 1942 Ford Jeep. This one has a .50 Cal mounted. It’s a bit of a basket case of GPW/MB/Post-War parts. It also has a Korean War era trailer.

A couple more shots from the event before I wrap this up.

I like how pronounced the F mark is on the 1942 GPW bumper.

I had a great discussion with the owner of this 1942 Jeep, Chris Seifert. He’s done a lot of work getting it to where it is!

There were several reenactors at the event representing German and American WW2, and American soldiers in Vietnam.

Crowds were light sadly, but more so than a standard Saturday at the museum.

So while the event was smaller and lighter than originally hoped, it was still nice to have a few vehicles and still nice to get the Jeep out on public display! Here’s hoping the next one is a bigger turnout!

After the event, I took the Jeep on the streets of Costa Mesa to a local Mexican place for lunch. Always gets a lot of looks and is a lot of fun taking it out on the streets in a more popular area than at home!

Last year I was able to get ahold of this tire pressure gauge. At the time, I was still in the midst of researching these, and I found out it was a wartime gauge on a military vehicle, but not correct for a Jeep.

I managed to acquire an actual correct tire gauge a few weeks ago! So you might be asking, what’s the difference? Let’s see!

From what I’ve found, the easiest tell-tale sign is this keychain ring. It seems only the wartime Jeep ones had it.

The inscirption is correct with Schrader and ‘US Property Oradance Dept’.

Another major difference is the tongue. The jeep style is flat.

Now let’s take a look at the both together, the wartime Jeep one on top, and the wartime one for another vehicle on the bottom.

Here are the key differences. The neck and the very end have different designs. The ‘tongues’ are different, with the Jeep version silver and flat while the other vehicle one is brass and square. The Jeep version has the key ring, and the other vehicle version has a date stamped on the neck (purple arrow).

Taking a closer look at the two tongues, with the Jeep one on the top.

Both are made by Schrader, but they are inscribed opposite of each other.

The wartime date on the non-jeep one has MAR 45, or March 1945. I have yet to figure out what vehicle this would have been on.

So there you go, a look at two wartime tire gauges, one for the Jeep (right) and one for another vehicle (left).

As I wrap up the update, I wanted to touch on Halloween. Once again the Jeep was a hit with ‘Bob’ and ‘Gary’ at the wheel. Because we had a big graveyard display in the yard, the Jeep was in the driveway this year. As usual, various trick-or-treaters took photos with the Jeep and it got a lot of comments. Next year we have some plans with my neighbor to do a ‘Roswell’ scene with the Jeep! Should be fun.

And that’s it for this veteran’s day! While the Jeep isn’t scheduled to be in any events today, I’ll for sure drive it around the area and hopefully get a few waves and smiles.
Till the next update…