Wings, Tracks, and Wheels 2025 Recap!

This year’s Wings, Tracks, and Wheels went off with a BANG! Literally! A preview of what’s to come with the museum’s M4A1 Sherman Tank. A lot of hard work went into this year from many people to pull the event together and make it bigger-and better-than 2024’s event.

I know, it’s been so long since a proper update! I promise I’ll start putting some updates out in the next few weeks/months, as I have several things to update on the Jeep, including issues with the PowerGen Alternator, results of the overheating issue, an engine oil leak, upgrades, etc. It’s been difficult as I’ve been so busy and focused on my 1940 Ford Deluxe (civilian) restoration that’s sucked up all my time.
But for now, let’s dive into this update and get some background on the Wings, Tracks, and Wheels event.

Back in 2022, I came up with the idea to have a gathering of military vehicles at the Planes of Fame Air Museum located at Chino Airport, CA. I’m a long-time (25 years in 2026!) volunteer with the museum as a photographer, graphic designer, and social media content creator. The event was created as a way to bring in new people, mainly car/military people, who might not come out to an air museum normally. We had a small gathering of vehicles (10 Jeeps!), but it proved to be a pretty popular one-day event, matching the crowds from the normal monthly events the museum has. It was so successful that we expanded the event to two days in 2023, and set up a small encampment for reenactors to set up along with an arena for the museum’s M4A1 Sherman tank to perform a demo. The event expanded again in 2024 to include 10 warbirds flying, more reenactors, lots more military vehicles, and more.
For the 2025 event (this poster), we had to one-up the event again, this time adding more vehicles, a massively expanded reenactor encampment, more activities, more displays, and more vehicle demos.

The week before the event, I went to work giving the Jeep some TLC. While I try to drive the Jeep at least once a week or once every two weeks to keep the fluids flowing, past events (like last year’s Wings, Tracks, and Wheels) and me walking past the Jeep in the garage have worn some of the paint. Also, there was an incident where a can of black paint (for the 1940 Ford) fell and splashed the rear passenger side wheel and body tub. That was a rough day. So I carefully masked the rear side reflector, star, and the rubber on the tire, and touched up the 33070 OD Green paint. There were several other areas that needed some touch-ups as well, from scratches and dings. So many that I ran out of what I had left of the OD Green paint. Ron Fitzpatrick Jeep Parts to the rescue, they got me a new shipment of OD green in two days, just in time to finish!

With everything painted, I started work on an intensive cleaning of the Jeep top to bottom. A lot of elbow grease, but I got her looking nice and clean. A typical cleaning can take several hours, to make it done right. While I was cleaning the Jeep, I also checked/topped off the fluid levels for the engine oil, coolant, front and rear axle oil, and the transfer case oil. It had been a while since I checked the fluid levels, and I was happy to see all but the engine oil and the front axle only required a very slight top-off of fluid. The front axle was about an inch from the fill line, and the engine oil needed about half a quart to top off.

Soon, it was the morning of Friday, May 2nd. I departed the house early to be at the museum by 9am for the first vehicle and reenactor arrivals. It’s about a 30-minute drive on side streets from the house to the museum. Note – In a future update, I’ll cover the new pinup photo you see on my dash.

Not long after arriving, the first vehicle showed up. Had to get a quick shot of my Jeep with this 1942 Ford Super Deluxe Staff Car. My wanting a Staff Car is what led me down the rabbit hole, which eventually I found my way to my 1940 Ford Deluxe I’m restoring. In retrospect, with how difficult the 1940 Ford has been… I wish I had found a Staff Car instead! OD Green is so much more forgiving and easier than a perfectly smooth gloss black!

Here’s a look at one of the welcome posters I designed for the event. The two Jeeps are actually both my Jeep with the markings removed. As you can see from the sky, the ‘May Gloom’ decided to settle over Southern California that weekend, bringing rain to almost everywhere BUT Chino Airport (luckily for us!). But that did scare off a lot of people who thought it might rain during the event… both guests and military vehicle owners alike. So, we didn’t get the nearly 70 military vehicles that were originally signed up to attend this year.

But we still had an impressive number of vehicles, nearly 50! Here’s a look at vehicle row with some of the vehicles ranging from private owners to several from the Inland Empire MVPA (IEMVPA) group! I’ll get to a complete list of the vehicles later in this update.

Naturally, we had a lot of Jeeps attend this year. Unfortunately, due to the threat of rain (again, no drops fell during the event, both days!), we were actually slightly less than 2024’s Jeep attendance, but we still had 18 this year, which is pretty impressive. We were on track to have closer to 26 Jeeps if all had made it this year.

But, due to the rain threat always being in limbo and the skies being dark, several owners opted not to return on Sunday, which was a bummer. But we still were able to fill out the vehicle rows nicely without needing to take some of the vehicles from the encampment area.

And this year we had quite the variety of vehicles from World War 2 all the way to the ‘modern day’ of 2011. The Southern California Military Vehicle Collector’s Club (SCMVCC) brought out quite a few vehicles ranging all through the 1942-1990 years.

Now, let’s talk Jeeps and the historical gathering we were able to pull together for Saturday of the event. While having 18 World War 2 Jeeps is impressive enough (and 3 were Slat Grilles!), I had been thinking of some way to showcase the Jeep in this year’s event. At first, it was a ‘Jeep Demo’, where perhaps we’d put a Jeep or two in the tank arena to tear up the field and showcase the Jeep’s capabilities. But when I saw that the IEMVPA was bringing a 2011 M1161 Growler, I suddenly had the idea: What if we could pull together a Jeeps through Time demo where we showcase the Jeep evolution from World War 2 to modern day? It was going to be a big challenge, as WW2 Jeeps are easy to find… but a M38, M38A1, M151, and a Hummer could be challenging. But, we’d had all examples at previous Wings, Tracks, and Wheels events… so I started hunting/emailing. It took a lot of coordinating but…

On Saturday, I managed to get all of them together for a fun demonstration of the Jeep lineage. While I’d love to have a Bantam BRC, Willys MA, or Ford GP… those are nearly impossible to find (at least here in SoCal). But I was able to get together a 1942 Willys Slat Grille, my 1944 GPW, a 1944 Willys MB, 1952 M38, 1953 M38A1, 1973 M151A2, 1986 M998 HMMWV (Hummer), and a 2011 M1161 Growler! This right here was the ONE photo I wanted to get at this entire event! So much hard work (and luck) to pull this gathering off!

While I had backups for the Slat Grille, my GPW, and the MB Jeeps… plus the M38 is one of the museum’s vehicles, the rest were a bit dicey as if any of them canceled, we’d be out of luck on the line-up (which happened Sunday). But for Saturday, we had all of them there!

The ‘Jeeps Through Time’ demo started with each vehicle, one at a time, driving around the tank arena on their own as a narrator read my script, talking about each vehicle, the changes/development from the previous model, and the specific history of the actual vehicles that took part. Once one vehicle finished, the next would pull out of the line for its moment to shine. Once all the vehicles finished, there was a closing summary, and all the vehicles pulled forward to line up for a lineage group shot for the rather large crowd that gathered to watch. For each vehicle/era, I had specific music playing from that time, starting with ‘Little Bo Peep has lost her Jeep’ by Spike Jones (1940s) to Imagine Dragons’ ‘Battle Cry’ (2010s).

We only had this Slat Grille for Saturday, it was in immaculate condition, a perfect restoration!

Originally, I was going to drive my Jeep in the demo, but I realized I couldn’t get photos if I was in it… and also, I needed to give cues to our WW2 MP out in the field on when to release and stop the vehicles. So, I had my friend Roger Smith (who was my mentor when restoring my Jeep) take it for the demo. My GPW represented the Ford production Jeeps and the English countryside configuration of Jeeps on the USAAF airfields.

Next, we had the 1944 Willys MB owned and driven by William Johnson. His MB represents the Willys production and also a ‘front-line’ configuration of a Jeep in direct combat with the .50 cal and .30 cals mounted.

Next, we had the museum’s 1952 Willys M38 being driven by Jim Goodhope. This M38 had one of the smoothest-sounding L-134 engines I’ve ever heard. When at idle, you could barely tell it was running. If only my Jeep, with the chattering valves, were that quiet!

Next up, we have Richard Maynard’s beautiful 1953 M38A1 in US Air Force Strategic Air Command colors. Richard was a last-minute addition as the M28A1 we originally had set to take part wasn’t able to make it last second. He did a great job and said he had a really great time for the demo! He made the USAF proud with his addition!

Next up, we had Tim Everman (head of the SCMVCC) in his 1970 Ford M151A2! Tim’s M151A2 is painted up in honor of his father, Lt. Col. George Everman, Commander of the 1-160th Infantry, 40th Division, California Army National Guard. This vehicle wins for the most decked out vehicle for sure!

Another last-second fill was this 1986 M998 HMMWV (Humvee), which filled in for the Humvee that was supposed to be there Sunday only. I didn’t catch the gentleman’s name who drove/owned this vehicle, but we were super glad to have him on Saturday representing one of the most iconic military vehicles of all time.

Finally, bringing it all into the modern era, we had this 2011 M1161 Growler. Designed specifically to fit inside a Bell MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, this unique vehicle was a first for me. It’s really the modern-day Jeep, going back to the small, low-to-the-ground reconnaissance design that started the Jeep lineage. This Growler was special as it had four-wheel steering and could crab walk (which was put on display during the demo).

With the threat of rain for Sunday, we lost the Slat Grille, Humvee, and the Growler for the ‘Jeeps through Time’ demo. So, we had to quickly modify the narration script and do some driver shuffling to get a different Slat Grille into the lineup. Even without the final two vehicles, this was a wonderful showcase of the evolution of the Jeep ‘grille’ through the decades.

Roger Smith, who drove my Jeep in Saturday’s demo, drove his immaculate and freshly restored 1942 Slat Grille.

With Roger in his Slat Grille, that meant I needed a driver again for my Jeep, so Tom Read, another Jeep mentor and friend who’s helped me countless times with my Jeep’s restoration, drove mine. So I had both of the two people I’d consider to be seriously two of the foremost experts when it comes to World War 2 Jeeps (and really any vehicle restoration) at the driver’s seat of my Jeep both days. Also, for those who say my Jeep never gets dirty and sits in a garage most of the year… that’s true, but here’s a great photo showing it getting all sorts of dusty and dirty! Not driving through mud, but it’s still going through the dust!

The other four vehicles in Sunday’s demo were the same as Saturday, with the exception of Tom Goodhope now driving the museum’s M38 and Tim Everman’s son driving the M151A2.

So, while Saturday was the better day with the complete line-up of vehicles, I came away from this year’s event feeling ‘mission accomplished’ for bringing together a pretty historic look at the Jeep in military service. If you own a Bantam BRC, Ford GP, Willys MA, or even a Ford GPA (Amphibious Jeep)… I would LOVE to add your vehicle to the demo in 2026! Keep the May 2-3, 2026 dates open and reach out to me so I can make sure you are notified when sign-ups for next year are open (it’s free and there’s a ton of great perks!).

Moving on, Jeeps weren’t the only thing tearing up the tank arena field, such as this 1943 T-24 Weasel owned by Tom Read, kicking up the ‘moon dust’ (as we started to call it).

Tim Everman (and his son on Sunday) drove the historic 5-ton 1990 M923A2 from the SCMVCC. This vehicle was one of the first into Iraq during Desert Storm, travelling with the US Army Medical Corps. The black upside-down V marking on the door signifies the invasion markings.

And of course, the finale of the Wings, Tracks, and Wheels event is our ‘fireworks’… aka the museum’s working WW2 M4A1 Sherman Tank! This tank tears up the field and wows the crowd.

The narrator for the tank demo, the ‘tank commander’ up top, Andrew Lockerbie, was not only narrating for the crowd, but also telling the driver where to go and calling the big booms… what big booms?

The 75mm gun! This isn’t propane gas, but actual shells with no projectile loaded into the gun and fired. The packed powder makes quite the flame… but it’s incredibly hard to capture as it’s only there for a fraction of a second and then gone. I always found it a fun challenge to try and capture it.

In fact, I caught it several times. Each time is slightly different. Note the .30 cal bow gun firing near the spare bogie wheel (road wheel) in the top left image.

This 1942 M4A1 Sherman tank is an early model Sherman, having been based in the USA during the war for training. The Sherman tank is a fan favorite to end the event, but we had a big problem this year… dust. We’ve had an issue with the Sherman digging up the field before, but this year it dug up so much dirt that the crowd had to move sometimes, or they’d be enveloped with dust. This was one of the biggest complaints we got. While it makes for nice photos, such as this, but can be annoying for the audience. We’re actually taking steps for 2026 for water down the field throughout both days to keep the dust to a minimum. This is a big concern I have as well, and I’m going to help make sure this is a top priority for 2026.

So, let’s get started going through all the vehicles that attended this year! First up, we have this nice-looking 1941 Dodge WC-1 from the IEMVPA.

And another Dodge, this time a 1941 WC-1, also from the IEMVPA.

Another 1941 Dodge, this time a WC-18 Ambulance. This vehicle is part of the museum, and while it runs, we use it to point the way to the reenactor encampment and vehicles. Note the Boeing B-50 Superfortress ‘Lucky Lady II’ behind the Dodge. This very B-50 is historic, being the first aircraft to fly around the world with aerial refueling.

Now we have the first of 18 Jeeps this year! The earliest Jeep that participated, a 1941 Willys MB Slat Grille. Still amazing, we had three Slat Grilles attending the event! I do regret not getting the three of them together for a photo. All three of the Slats were immaculately restored.

Next, we have a 1942 Chevrolet G506 with trailer that attended on Sunday. This vehicle is affiliated with the SCMVCC group.

Another Dodge, this time a 1942 WC-21 named ‘Trudge’. Another immaculate restoration! This WC-21 is in 2nd Armored markings.

A unique and well-liked attendee, the ‘Bombs Away’ US Navy 1942 Ford GTB ‘Burma Jeep’. Always a treat to have this vehicle attend the show!

The only Staff Car, as mentioned earlier, a 1942 Ford V8 Super Deluxe Staff Car in 82nd Airborne 505th markings.

Next Jeep is a 1942 Ford GPW in US Marine Corps markings. It had a great worn paint job with lots of hand written sayings and markings looking like it was a Jeep somewhere in the Pacific Theater.

Of course, the museum’s 1942 M4A1 Sherman Tank in 2nd Armored ‘Hannibal’ markings. The tank was open for tours for the public throughout the day before the finale demo.

The next Jeep, a 1942 Willys MB Jeep from the IEMVPA. This Jeep had a .30 cal mounted with a modern style flat towing a-frame attachment. Interesting to note is the modern electronic fan in front of the radiator. First time I’ve seen one of those on a Jeep.

Another 1942 Willys MB Jeep. I am unsure of the markings on the front bumper, but it has a darker 319 OD Green paint job (compare to the Jeep behind it).

We have the 1942 Willys MB Slat Grille that took part in Sunday’s ‘Jeeps through Time’ demo. This Slat is in the markings of 2nd Armored and was with the California Historical Group (CHG). It was parked in the reenactor encampment area.

And here’s the third Slat Grille, the other 1942 Willys MB that took part in the Saturday ‘Jeeps through Time’ demo. This Slat is also marked up as 2nd Armored and has a trailer.

The only motorcycle this year at the event was this 1942 Indian Model 741 from the museum.

Another 2nd Armored Jeep, this time a 1943 GPW named ‘Darcie’. This Jeep is owned by Michael Bruce, who operates a fully operational WW2 field kitchen that he sets up and makes food for the reenactors along with his wife Brenda. Wonderful people that we’re happy to have at the event!

A full decked out 1943 GPW Jeep in 82nd Airborne colors owned by Chuck Reuter. Chuck always makes it out for this event from quite a distance! His Jeep was very popular at the event, especially with some of the pinup gals! Note the wire cutter bar on the front with the tow rope wrapped around it. The only Jeep with a wire cutter in attendance this year!

Another Jeep from the SCMVCC, this time another 1943 GPW Jeep. It is in 2nd Armored markings.

Here we have a 1943 GPW Jeep without any markings aside from some USAAF white tips to the front bumper. This is the museum’s Jeep, which is slowly undergoing restoration to wartime status. Note the modern wide tires and lock-out hubs on the front axle. There’s a lot that needs fixing/redo on this Jeep. For the event, it is driven over and used as the ‘photo jeep’ where people can climb inside and get their photo taken. Every time I’d walk past the Jeep, there were people, mainly kids and families, taking photos in it.

The only ‘foreign’ Jeep, this 1943 GPW is in British commando markings with a lot of gear slung on it. Always nice to see this Jeep attending, bringing a different paint job than the US Army!

Another Jeep, this time a 1943 Willys MB Jeep in markings of the 15th Air Force, 459th Bomb Group based in Italy. His engine bay was immaculate!

As we saw earlier, a unique attendee was the 1943 Studebaker T-24 Weasel! It looks like a fun tracked vehicle to drive!

We were extremely lucky to have another armored vehicle this year for the first time, a 1944 Ford M20 Greyhound! What a neat vehicle brought by Steven Kummerfeldt (who’s actually to the left of the image with the officer’s cap). Each morning, when the event began and the gates opened at 9am, he drove the Greyhound in the tank arena while another person fired the .50 cal (gas-powered) on top. It was quite the wake-up call!

Whose Jeep is this?! Oh wait, it’s mine! I always bring out my 1944 Ford GPW Jeep and have it on display. If you’re new to these updates, my Jeep is in the markings of the 8th Air Force, 95th Bomb Group, 412th Bombardment Squadron based at former RAF Horham, United Kingdom (Great Britain then). I found a new way to mount my info sign (which I custom-made some time ago) using magnets this year, so it wouldn’t blow over, and it held up really well both days in the wind. I’ll cover that in a future update.

Next up, another 1944 Ford GPW Jeep. This Jeep, with the SCMVCC group, wears 8th Air Force markings. I assume the HW is possible Heavy Weapons, so perhaps an ordnance Jeep? That’s followed by Headquarters, Jeep #3.

Another well-patinaed US Marine Corps Jeep, this time a 1944 GPW. It was set up in a Pacific Theater display by the HUSC (Historical Unit of Southern California).

Next up, we have another ‘Jeeps through Time’ demo participant, the 1944 Willys MB Jeep. It has ‘Willys’ on the side, since the owner is Will (William). It’s in 2nd Armored markings. He’s displaying the custom sign I made for him and his Jeep in front. A lot of firepower on this Jeep… .50 Cal, .30 Cal, Thompson, and a 1911 in a holster! Plus, it has a bustle rack on the back filled with water cans and various Army sacks.

The next 1944 Willys MB Jeep was a Sunday-only Jeep, this one in US Marine Corps markings with a trailer. A really nice restoration! Some unique features on it such as the radio antenna.

The rarest vehicle on display and also one of the only non-American vehicles is the museum’s ultra-rare 1945 Russian GAZ-67B! This Jeep/Ford/Model A/Model T knock-off is quite an interesting vehicle to see, and it runs! Captured during the Korean War, it eventually made its way to be owned by the museum. I did a complete look at this vehicle and its history here: https://1944gpw.warbirdphotos.us/blog/photoshoot-russian-jeep-clone-and-jerry-can-nozzle/ (scroll down)

And the final World War 2-era Jeep, a 1945 Willys MB Jeep in 2nd Armored markings. Another really top-notch restoration. The engine bay looked amazing.

We had this 1945 Willys CJ2A civilian Jeep that’s painted in fictional US Navy Shore Patrol markings. Hollywood will often use CJ2A civilian Jeeps and paint them OD Green or Battleship Grey, like this one, to stand in as ‘Jeeps’ in World War 2 movies. While sharp eyes that know their Jeeps will immediately see it, 99% of the general public will have no clue it’s not a WW2 Jeep. This is even true today, as the recent Tyler Perry Netflix movie ‘The Six Triple Eight’ has a few scenes where they use an incorrect CJ2A instead of a real MB or GPW wartime Jeep. Still nice to see this Jeep attend and the only Jeep representing the US Navy, fictional or not. It was with the IEMVPA.

Of course, as we’ve already seen, the 1952 Willys M38 from the museum’s collection. Again, one of the smoothest-sounding engines I’ve ever heard. When getting this M38 ready for the event the week prior, I installed the canvas top and rear side walls. It was an interesting process and much different than the WW2 Jeep canvas top! I actually like the way the M38’s top slides into the front of the windshield rather than attach via the Caspian nuts on the WW2 Jeep. It’s a much more secure process that prevents the canvas top from coming off and flapping in the driver’s face.

And another one of the ‘Jeeps through Time’ participants I’ve covered, the 1953 Willys M38A1. It’s amazing how much redesign there was between the M38 and the M38A1. Physically with the body and also internally.

We had this 1965 Ford M151 with canvas top marked as part of the 12th Evacuation Hospital. It was partially with the SCMVCC group.

The only axis vehicle in attendance, this incredible Volkswagen Kubelwagen might seem like I should have posted it earlier with the WW2 vehicles, but it’s actually a replica built on top of a 1968 Volkswagen Beetle! This replica is correct in just about every other detail aside from the power plant and frame. Being the only Axis vehicle (which we want to get more for the May 2-3, 2026 event!), it sure had a lot of people stopping to take a look at it! The owner did an incredible job with it.

And again, another “Jeeps through Time” participant, the 1970 Ford M151A2 with trailer from the SCMVCC owned by Tim Everman in the colors of his father, Lt. Col. George Everman, Commander of the 1-160th Infantry, 40th Division, California Army National Guard.

Another M151A2, this time a 1972 version with no unit markings from the SCMVCC group.

Rounding out some of the modern vehicles, we had (clockwise starting from top left) a 1966 M274-A2 Mule from the IEMVPA, 1967 AM General M52A2 in 124th Battalion 64th Transport Truck markings, 1980 AM General M35A2 from the SCMVCC in 48th Transportation Group 261st Transportation markings, and the museum’s 1970 AM General M816 Wrecker.

The “Jeeps through Time” participant on Saturday, the 1986 AM General M998 HMMWV (Humvee) with troop transport back. A soft top can be added to the bars in the back. The vehicle was with the SCMVCC.

A couple more 1980s-1990s vehicles from the SCMVCC group… (clockwise starting from top left) a 1985 Chevy M1009 in 4th Squadron 3rd U.S. Cavalry Regiment markings, a 1986 Chevy M1009 with a 1996 M101A3M trailer in what I believe is 40th Brigade markings possibly, a 1997 AM General M35A3 in 40th Brigade markings, and finally the 5-ton 1990 BMY M923A2 that was one of the first vehicles into Iraq during Desert Storm.

And finally, we had the last participant in the “Jeeps through Time” demo with the US Marine Corps 2011 M1161 Growler representing the modern day! We originally were going to have a US Army Abrams tank on display, courtesy of the US Army, but they backed out at the last minute. So this Growler represents our modern military.

And here’s a look at the Planes of Fame Air Museum motorpool and tank crew that “Keep ‘Em Rolling” at the museum, posing with the M4A1 Sherman Tank. They crewed the tank demo, and made sure the Sherman, the M38, the WC-18 Ambulance, the Indian Model 741, the Russian GAU, and the M38 were all working before the event and were crucial in the planning, setup, and tear-down for Wings, Tracks, and Wheels 2025. Five of the people in this photo own World War 2 Jeeps!

Speaking of people, before I wrap up this update, I want to post about something special that happened at this year’s event to me and the Jeep. That’s me on the right in the red with the Jeep overshirt. On the left is Mike, whom I bought the Jeep back in late 2018! He follows these updates, but had yet to see the Jeep in person since handing it over to me. It was great to reconnect with him for the first time in almost six years, so he could see how far it’s come! I was also able to link up with someone who was one of the original purchasers of my Jeep, with some history behind it that I didn’t know! I’ll cover that in a future update.

So we’ve reached the end of the update, as I drove home from the event proud that we accomplished a lot this year! We’ve set next year’s dates for May 2-3, 2026… so if you own a military vehicle and would like to be a part of this growing event, we would LOVE to have you! Mark your calendars for next year’s event and keep that weekend open! Feel free to contact me here and send me a message so I can make sure you’re included in the email list for all the updates on the event!
Till the next update…