Jonathan Chouinard’s 1957 CJ-5

I found this jeep at the end of a farmer’s driveway when I was riding my bicycle on a back country road. It was love at first sight. I didn’t even notice the man-eating rust holes, lack of brakes, or hornets nest living in the potato sack and plywood driver’s seat. Somehow, I was able to talk my dad into letting me buy it for my entire savings of $125.  I was convinced that all it needed was a little paint and a few weeks of sprucing to be a perfect daily driver!

Fast forward two years later, and I drove my baby to my high school graduation, leaving behind me a train of honking cars.  My buddy and I believed that they were honking in excitement at our pending graduation, but in hindsight it was probably because we were cruising along at a sprightly 15 mph (unbeknownst to me, two of the spark plug wires were crossed).

That day was a big milestone for my little Jeep, and I continued to drive it for another year in college. Eventually it began to run rough and overheat, so in 2001, I parked it in my parent’s garage with the intention of fixing it up when money and time allowed. Well, two wars and ten years later, I finally retrieved it from my parent’s house and trucked it halfway across the country to my new home. I’m happy to say that it is well on its way to being drivable again!

Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – Jonathan Chouinard

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