Lonnie Turner of Ozark was one of those GIs who became enamored of jeeps.
About 25 years ago, his interest in jeeps was rekindled when he and his friend, Thurman “Junior” Kirby, who served as a mechanic in the Army in the early 1960s, bought a couple of never-used vintage jeep engines, still in their original crates, at an auction. From there, he began to search for jeeps to restore. Today, he has two airplane hangars at the Ozark Airport filled with restored and waiting-to-be-restored jeeps, as well as countless jeep parts. He has titles to 40 jeeps, but there are more in the collection.
Turner has found jeeps just about everywhere, from Madison County, Arkansas, to as far away as Maine. He has bought some at auctions and often gets tips about jeeps and parts from others. He takes the machines, typically in disrepair, and painstakingly cleans them, adds parts if needed, and makes sure they have the right wheels. With help from Kirby, who served as a mechanic in the Army, they bring the engines back to life.
There are no customizations or modifications here.
“I like the plain Janes the most,” Turner says, adding that his goal is to restore the jeeps “back to normal” as much as possible.
Does he have a favorite? “No. I just love them all.”
https://arkansaslivingmagazine.com/article/veterans-spotlight-its-jeep-heaven-in-ozark/
About 25 years ago, his interest in jeeps was rekindled when he and his friend, Thurman “Junior” Kirby, who served as a mechanic in the Army in the early 1960s, bought a couple of never-used vintage jeep engines, still in their original crates, at an auction. From there, he began to search for jeeps to restore. Today, he has two airplane hangars at the Ozark Airport filled with restored and waiting-to-be-restored jeeps, as well as countless jeep parts. He has titles to 40 jeeps, but there are more in the collection.
Turner has found jeeps just about everywhere, from Madison County, Arkansas, to as far away as Maine. He has bought some at auctions and often gets tips about jeeps and parts from others. He takes the machines, typically in disrepair, and painstakingly cleans them, adds parts if needed, and makes sure they have the right wheels. With help from Kirby, who served as a mechanic in the Army, they bring the engines back to life.
There are no customizations or modifications here.
“I like the plain Janes the most,” Turner says, adding that his goal is to restore the jeeps “back to normal” as much as possible.
Does he have a favorite? “No. I just love them all.”
https://arkansaslivingmagazine.com/article/veterans-spotlight-its-jeep-heaven-in-ozark/
