Fort Smith (Sep 22/03) - Reggie Evans of Fort Smith is a walking encyclopedia on Jeeps.

Not the SUVs of today, but the rough-and-tumble Jeeps that earned a special place in military history.

Evans says he fell in love with Jeeps from watching war movies when he was young.

"The Jeep was such a powerful little machine," he says, noting it could serve any role -- from an ambulance to a scout vehicle.

Evans has worked on many Jeeps, and currently has two in his yard -- a 1946 CJ2A and a 1952 M38.

"I gathered them over the years," he says, explaining they came to him by various routes, mostly from the U.S. Army or the Canadian military. One Jeep was sold by the U.S. Army to the Roman Catholic Mission and brought to him. The history of the Jeep in Fort Smith goes back to the 1940s when the U.S. Army stationed troops in the area.

Evans says he gets a lot of satisfaction fixing up an old vehicle, which may be brought to him with a smoking or knocking engine. "When I'm finished, it's good to start it up for the first time."

The Jeep enthusiast first started working on the vehicles in 1961 when he was just a teenager. Back then, he got an old model and started looking for parts to fix it up.

Evans stresses he only uses stock parts and doesn't increase the size of the engines. "I keep it standard."

Life-long interest

Over the years, Evans says he has probably worked on eight Jeeps in all. The first one he restored was a 1942 model.

"I read military books and know about the Jeep," he says.

Evans says he also helps other Fort Smith residents fix up old military vehicles.

His fascination with Jeeps is a life-long interest, he says. "I lose track of time when I work on a Jeep."

However, his interest in older vehicles, especially military ones, is not limited just to Jeeps. In his yard is a 1953 M37, a Korean War-era military cargo truck, featuring a waterproof engine and a snorkel. "They can drive under water completely," he points out. There is also a 1941 military Caterpillar, which is still running. Evans is hoping to get rubber pads for the tracks so he can drive it in the July 1st parade next year.

The 56-year-old also works on old passenger cars from the 1940s and 1950s. "People come to me to diagnose problems."

Evans, who is an inventory control technician with Aurora College, says he also has a real love for welding and making sculptures. They include such varied pieces as a skier, a steel dog, a Caterpillar and Daffy Duck.