SAGLE — Chet Jackman sat down at the Washington State and Greater Northwest Hot Rod Hall of Fame banquet in Spokane last year, surrounded by his friends and family, and he was frustrated.

“I wasn't quite a nice person when I found out that they were all going because, once again, I thought it was supposed to be date night,” Jackman said. “We were going to go to that and, you know, have a good time. And it was a good time with just more people than I thought.” 

While Jackman was picking up on clues that something was afoot, he didn’t know what it was until the middle of the banquet. During the introductions for the Hall of Fame inductees, Rob Manelski said that the next person didn’t even know that he was being inducted that night. 

“He said, ‘I have it under good authority that this person knows nothing about this,’” Jackman recalled. “Then I closed my eyes and I said, ‘Oh God, here it comes. And sure enough, he called me.” 

Ashley Hirschi and Tami Jackman, his daughter and wife, were the ones who nominated Jackman for the Hall of Fame right under his nose. They said they wrote one afternoon in the family’s kitchen under Hirschi’s name so Tami Jackman could play dumb if Chet found out.  

“Every time the front door would open, we would jump,” Hirschi said. “They called my phone because my number was on it, and they're like, ‘Hey, we're trying to get a hold of Chet. We’re going to induct him. We need to know what size jacket he wears.’ I'm like, do not call him. I will have someone call you.” 

Hirschi said she heard from someone on the voting committee that the vote for Jackman’s induction was “one of the fastest unanimous decisions they’ve had in a while.” Jackman said the induction is a great honor, not only because the committee covers four states, but also because his longtime community service was a major factor in his selection. 

Jackman is a longtime resident of North Idaho, having served as the street supervisor for the city of Sandpoint for 25 years. He said it’s part of his life to help people in need and to share his gift of working on cars with everyone he can. 

“I have another good friend, got a 1939 Ford. He comes over and he's just throwing his hands up in the air,” Jackman said. "We sat here, and within an hour, I had everything that was wrong with it [fixed] ... and after it was through, he drove the thing home. [He asked] ‘OK, what I owe you?’ Nothing.” 

Jackman’s career and passion for working on cars began when he was little, watching his father build hot rods. He said it’s not only the work but also the individual story of each car that draws him to rebuild it. 

His most famous work, a flaming-red, converted 1943 Dodge truck with all the modern fixings, has an extensive history that connects him to the ride. Jackman can recall every detail of his work, from the damaged corner from an accident in Yosemite to the warping caused by being baked in a fire. 

“I always think of them as having souls. There's a story to each car,” Jackman said. “When did you die? Where did your chassis go? Where did the motor go? Where did you end up? When did you get torn apart? Each one of them has a story that cannot be told, and I like to think of it as restoring it back to life.” 

The Dodge truck was featured in several magazines, earning a front-cover feature in Chrysler Power and winning the Truck of the Year award from GoodGuys. Jackman said earning the cover was one of his life goals because it was an honor his father had earned. 

Among his next projects, Jackman is working alongside his grandson to rebuild a 1933 Chrysler body into a hot rod. While they're still working on the details and reeling in his grandson’s expectations of a dark purple hot rod with dragster pipes, he’s looking forward to sharing his passion with the next generation. 

“You know, by that time, can you imagine driving something like that high school? You'd be the coolest kid in school,” Jackman said. “Once again, the good Lord has given me this talent. I want to pass it on to him.” 

    Three generations work on Chet Jackman's most famous work, a 1943 Dodge Truck hot rod.
  

    Chet Jackman holds his plaque from the Washington State and Greater Northwest Hot Rod Hall of Fame.
  

    A creation of Chet Jackman in his new garage.