Schwartz Performance Built Six Speed & Supercharged 1948 Ford Woodie
By Brian Brennan – Photography By Matt Lankford
The Ford woodie, along with others, has a long and storied history as a “surf wagon” and is as much a part of the SoCal surfing scene as surfboards, baggy shorts, shore breaks, and bikinis. With that said, this month’s 1948 Ford woodie has the looks, but more is lurking under the “wood.” Owned by Ray Reinertson of the Bay Area, it should come as no shock that a good-looking Ford woodie is part of the surf and the hot rod scene he lives in. But what sets this woodie apart is the makeover he pursued with Jeff Schwartz of Schwartz Performance.
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What started out as the obligatory 350 small-block Chevy V8 engine and Mustang II Independent Front Suspension would undergo a complete makeover at the hands of the builders at Schwartz Performance. While the outer skin remained pretty much as purchased in its stately black with impeccable woodwork, what is hidden beneath features creativity and performance. The firewall needed extensive modifications to fit the modular Ford Coyote engine. The woodie now rests on a custom Schwartz G-Machine chassis moved by a Roush supercharged all-aluminum 5.0L Coyote V8 engine managed by a Ford Performance CPU responsible for the Ford EFI. Other engine performance items include the Schwartz 1-3/4-inch stainless steel custom headers, power rack-and-pinion steering. They are mandrel bent and TIG welded, eventually feeding the spent gasses through the four individual 2 SLP Loudmouth mufflers with custom tips. Making sure this 580 rwhp and 620 lb-ft of torque comes to life at the turn of a key is through the remote-mounted Optima battery. Getting all this power rearward falls to the TREMEC T56 Magnum transmission that came as part of the Silver Sport Transmissions system that also features their flywheel and clutch assembly. In back accepting this power is a full-floater Moser rear end with the Baer brake kits, a Currie 9-inch third member, 31-spline axles, and 4.10 ring-and-pinion.
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The Baer Pro+ 14-inch drilled-and-slotted rotors, coupled with six-piston calipers at the corners, bring this potent surf wagon to a halt. The brake system is worked by a Raybestos Corvette 1-inch bore master cylinder, which features a custom under dash-mounted pedal assembly that also handles the clutch chores. More corner appeal is the Schwartz front spindles and the rear 3/4-inch sway bar. Couple all this with the black-painted Coker steelies with chrome “Ford” block letter caps that measure 20×9 and 20×10 and are mounted with 255/30Rx20 and 285/25Rx20 Continental tires.
Inside the factory, the dash is outfitted with Classic Instruments gauges and Vintage Air AC (switches are mounted within a sub dash panel with registers mounted just below). At the same time, an American Autowire harness was poisoned at Schwartz Performance to bring these and the aftermarket stereo to life. Also visible is the Flaming River steering column, topped with a custom leather-wrapped banjo wheel. The factory bench seating is stitched in distressed brown leather by Cassin Customizing with lap belts from Seat Belt Planet.
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It makes sense nowadays that if you want a surf wagon, why not get one that can also haul you and your surfboards in comfort and provide all the modern-day performance one could possibly want? Looks like Ray has found just the right combination to enjoy. MR
Click on this issue’s cover to see the enhanced digital version of Coyote Swapped Ford Wagon.
