Joe Wilhelm

A photo of Joe. Photo courtesy of Hot Rod Magazine.

A photo of Joe with his 1937 Nash that he sent to the Kemp Gasette.

Joe Wilhelm's 1939 Nash Coupe of San Jose, California. Joe bought the car and restyled it after the War in 1946, and it was his first custom project.

A photo of Joe Wilhelm working on John Serpa's 1951 Mercury. This photo was published in a story about custom cars that the San Jose News ran August 19, 1957. Photo courtesy of the San Jose News.

A presentation of Wilhelm Custom Shop in the souvenir program of the 1960 Kustom Kar Kapades show in Monterey, California.

A photo of Joe Wilhelm with the Wild Dream. Photo courtesy of Hot Rod Magazine.

Joe Wilhelm of San Jose, California, was a legendary customizer who operated Wilhelm's Custom Shop in San Jose. He began working around a garage at age 17 and moved from Nebraska to California in 1942 to work at a defense plant.

Around 1945, Joe started doing custom work part-time on his own cars and for others. He began by molding hoods and decklids, then moved on to mild customs.

Joe's first car that he bought on his own was a 1937 Nash Lafayette. In a letter that was published in the Kemp Gazette Vol. 5, No. 10, Joe wrote that he acquired it during the big war when cars and gas were hard to come by. He also recalled owning two 1939 Nash Coupes, “both… customized,” and noted they were “real reliable cars” that he drove extensively. “I made two trips from California to Nebraska in the ’37.” After the war, he also rebuilt a 1946 Nash Sedan and 1952 Nash Classic.

By about 1954, Joe's custom cars started appearing at auto shows, were featured in magazines, and even selected for top-ten recognitions. The exposure encouraged him to push for ever finer customs.

Joe was interested in cars of all types. He enjoyed auto racing and sponsored a hardtop in 1960. He also sponsored the Coachmen of Campbell car club.

In March of 1960, Joe had recently moved from his shop at 23rd street to a larger and better location at 465 Stockton Avenue in San Jose.

When Joe wrote Kemp Gazette, he said, “Sometimes I wish I still had the black ’39 Coupe. It was a nice car.” The ’39 Coupe he referenced was a Nash Lafayette with a flathead six and 3-speed with overdrive. At the time of the letter, he said, “I have a ’68 AMX and ’70 Mark Donohue Javelin I am restoring.”

Joe passed away in 1998.

Joe Wilhelm's Cars

Joe Wilhelm's 1939 Nash Coupe

Cars Restyled by Joe Wilhelm

Click here to see cars restyled by Joe Wilhelm at Wilhelm's Custom Shop