29 below
By Louie Mayall
project. Watching young people move towards their dream is awesome and many times you find out a lot about the personalities of 29 Below participants. Some kids love cruising to events all over the country like retired folks, some like having a new ride every year or they buy a project to fix up with the goal of selling it for a profit/nicer next project. Some lucky ones are either gifted or inherited a finished ride and are thrilled to keep it running and enjoy it just like the builder did. The majority are in the process of building their ‘dream chaser,’ often with help from grandpa, grandma, dad or mom before we see it and have been enjoying their rod for some time while the build goes on. They all have a plan and just like us old folks, that plan may change completely when the grinder hits the metal. We love being part of this process and hope that as you read through the magazine over the years you see what we see. Whether these rods are in progress or finished we are excited to see you all out on the road.
L ike most magazines, we mainly feature finished projects and dreams realized, but in the 29 Below section you get to see dreams slowly come together. Many of these projects just keep getting a little nicer every year or two and sometimes you watch the young person step up, getting a nicer ride and being one step closer to their dream rod with each new
DAKOTA ORTT Both of our 29 Below featured participants have multiple rods. Again, just like around the StreetScene offices, they too find it hard to sell anything, plus they make most homes with two- car garages so isn’t everybody supposed to have at least two street rods? I first ran into Dakota Ortt from Barto, Pennsylvania, in 2021 after the pandemic sidelined the Nationals East for a year. I loved his story and the old black lacquer (one of my favorite colors/finishes.) He was behind the wheel of his ’39 Chevy Master Deluxe two-door sedan. Dakota got the ’39 completely disassembled and in boxes, so he put it all together keeping the black lacquer paint.
Dakota ages out of 29 Below this year and I’m glad he got the ’39 slammed in the weeds by adding a Southern Rods Mustang II IFS and an AirRide
Dakota also owns his grandfather’s ’52 Ford F1 that gramps bought in 1976. The red patinated hauler runs 239ci Ford flatty power with a three- speed, Cragar wheels and Painless Wiring by Dakota. The East Texas Auto logo is for Dakota’s automotive repair business in Macungie, PA, so if somebody you know is looking for unique work give Dakota a call at East Texas Auto.
bagged rear with a four-link and 15-inch Chevy Rally wheels. No-name eBay air-conditioning, Speedway wiring and the Weiand-blown Chevy 350 with a ZZ3 cam, Comp valvetrain and Blueprint heads are improvements made over the years. It’s always great to meet a young rodder and even better to run into one who has made rodding his business. I’m sure we’ll all be seeing Dakota for years.
66 MARCH 2024
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