Just off of Avalon Blvd works Junior Sims, a body repair man in the business, he said, since 1988. He’s the owner of JR’s Paint & Body. Sims said he started body painting as a kid in Bermuda, taking apart bikes and mopeds and repainting them. Sims said, after moving to Milton, he worked at other local body shops in town before setting out on his own in 1997. After adding the towing, he said, five years ago, Sims can pick up a damaged vehicle and return it to pre-accident condition.
“We do 90 percent collision repair,” Sims said, “from bumping a mailbox to replacing airbags.” Work may include changing out window motors, all-over paint jobs, finding parts from salvage yards or ordering from the factory, whatever it takes to get it just right. “It’s the little meticulous things that matter,” said Sims. Sometimes, according to Sims, he can repair a vehicle to better than factory quality. Sims said he had to replace nearly the whole side of a customer’s van. After returning it to her, he said she was surprised how well the door opened and closed, better than before.
“I was never told somebody was unhappy with our work,” Sims said. “If you find a flaw, we’ll fix it. We won’t put you off. We’ll get it in as fast as we can and take care of it.”
Currently, Sims said he works with Lorenzo Benton, and his son, TC, doing all the repair and paint work. All three of his sons, he said, went to Pace High School. His son, Eric, is with the Pensacola Police Department and Andy is considering physical therapy after having just finished his master’s degree. TC, with a Navy background, said he may take over for his dad one day. “You’ve got to have a knack for it,” Sims said. He showed how a hood on a repaired Acura lined up with the rest of the body. “These are nice perfect lines. TC did most of this work,” he said. “Everything has to be just right.” Anybody can take a fender off and put it back on, he said, but getting it to look like it has never been wrecked is harder.
While insurance companies may steer a customer toward a particular shop, Sims said, “The ultimate decision is on the customer. It’s in the customer’s best interest to find the shop that suits them,” Sims said. “I look forward to new business and doing quality work,” he said, “because it’s what the customer deserves.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: JR's Paint and Body Shop also tows