Reviving Rust: Dickinson couple builds unique rat rods and inspires others to find their passion
Feb. 14—DICKINSON, N.D. — The world of rat rods, once dismissed as little more than heaps of scrap metal, has captured the hearts of car enthusiasts Lee and Lisa Hageman. For them, rat rods provide not just a canvas for their creativity, but a thriving community of like-minded individuals who share their passion for restoring and building these unique cars. In their eyes, the rat rod community is more than just a group of people who admire each other's vehicles — it's a place of genuine generosity and support.
The Hagemans are nearing completion on their latest project: a massive, awe-inspiring truck that stands as a testament to their love for rat rods. Hoping to inspire others to pursue this same fulfilling hobby, the couple eagerly shared their experiences with the community
Lee's own interest in rat rods began when his family invited him to a show in Nebraska, a budding interest formed despite his wife Lisa's initial skepticism. Soon the couple found themselves hooked after working on their first car together. Today, the couple pours their energy into their shared passion for restoring and customizing rat rods. Outside of the garage, Lee does mechanical work and Lisa is the director at
Kinderkidz
Daycare's north Dickinson location.
What truly distinguishes rat rod enthusiasts is their sense of community, according to the Hagemans. This became crystal clear to the couple when they attended a show in 2019 and strangers helped them repair Lee's father's car in a hotel parking lot, demonstrating the incredible generosity and kindness at the heart of the rat rod community.
"He's like, 'Oh I got my welder.' He's laying under the car with a beer in one hand, welder in the other and fixed my dad's car. I mean we're good friends now but he didn't know us from anybody else," Lee said. "That's what the rat rod community is about. Like really it's a different kind of mindset with people who build rat rods. They're always there to help each other out."
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For the Hagemans, this experience illustrates that rat rods are not just about appreciating each other's cars, but also about coming together to lend a hand and forge long-lasting friendships.
Lee said that these rigs can look pretty scrappy, but they're actually built with meticulous planning and foresight.
"A lot of people look at rat rods and just think it's a bunch of junk thrown together... It's not just throw it together and see what happens," Lee said. "No, we build 'em safe so we can drive them every day," his wife added.
His car, conspicuously named Absinthe Mind, is a unique welding pot of Chevy parts and components. It's a 1941 Chevrolet Master Deluxe with suspension from a 1980 Chevy Malibu, brake and fuel lines from an old Chevy pickup.
Lee hopes this will enable others to get involved and find their passion for cars.
"We want to inspire people to go out, buy some rust, drag it home and build something cool," he said.
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Lisa welds the front bumper of her truck.
Contributed / Lee Hageman
They originally had Lisa's truck built on a 1953 Chevy Nova frame but switched gears after they went to Nebraska's
High Plains Riot
show in August and she decided she wanted something bigger. She explained there are many conflicting desires in her vision.
"I knew that I wanted a truck. And I knew that I wanted it to be big and beastly, and you know, not something that you're going to see in Dickinson. That's kind of where my headset is when we're building it. It's like, how can we make this so that either people want to touch it or look at it or be like, Oh, my gosh, I don't want to touch this. Because I want the attention. But I don't want the attention," she said laughingly. "Now it's big. And that's what I wanted. I wanted it to be a big, bad*** truck. And her name is Ruthless."
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A chain and tractor parts were used to build the front bumper on Ruthless.
Contributed / Lee Hageman
To make a shifter for the truck, they used the steering column from the Nova. Lee guided her on welding it and described her as a "kid on Christmas morning" watching it bend.
"It just turned blazing red. And he's like, okay, bend it. So I did and oh my gosh it was literally like bending a stick of butter. It was crazy," she said.
Lee said he anticipates people being surprised seeing her driving it.
"I feel sorry for the first guy that's like, 'Hey is that hat your husband's truck?'" he said.
Lisa added that it's been a joint venture.
"We worked together on it, you know. So it's not just one or the other. It's a partnership of both of us. It's both of our visions," she said. "This is so satisfying. It's because we just talk it back and forth. And we really don't have to answer to anybody. You don't really care what someone else's opinion is. It's like, no this is what our vision was and we did it this way because that's what we wanted. We like the way it looks."
