Rust Repair
Rust repair, cut out and fixed right, not covered over
Rocker panels, floors and frame rails, fed by salt and wet New England winters. We cut the rot out and replace it with custom-fabricated panels, then finish it so it stays fixed.
Chapter 01
Where New England rot starts
A Beverly winter puts road salt on every car that drives it, and salt goes to work on steel the moment it gets past the paint. It rarely starts where you can see it. Rocker panels sit low and catch spray straight off the tires, floors trap wet slush and road grime underneath the carpet where nobody looks, and frame rails hold moisture in the seams long after the rest of the car has dried out.
By the time rust is visible on a rocker panel or showing through a floor pan, it has usually been working from the inside for a while. That is the pattern we see on cars that have spent years on the North Shore, from daily drivers to the classics people bring in for restoration.
Two white refinished panels meeting at a tight panel gap, masking tape along the lower edge
How we cut it out
The rot comes out, all of it, not just the part that shows. That means custom fabrication of new panels sized and shaped to the car, welding them in properly, and rocker panel and floor fabrication where the original steel is too far gone to save.
Frame repairs get the same standard. A rusted frame rail is a structural part of the car, not a cosmetic one, so it gets repaired the same careful way the shop handles collision structure work, not patched over.
We do not skim filler over a hole and call it done. If the metal underneath is compromised, it gets cut out and replaced. That is the difference between a repair that lasts and one that rusts through again in a season or two.
Chapter 03
Finish, protection and the classics
Every repaired panel gets finished with DuPont and PPG Envirobase paint and coating products, so the new metal is protected the same way the rest of the car should be. It is not just about matching the color, it is about the repair holding up to the next ten winters, not just looking right for the next photo.
We also take on old car restoration, working through rot on classics the same panel-by-panel way. Whether it is a daily driver or a project that has been sitting in a garage, call Jamie at (978) 927-3201 and describe what you are seeing, or send the details through the estimate form. Estimates are free.
Big Jim's. All work guaranteed for as long as you own the vehicle. Call (978) 927-3201.
Curious what a completed job looks like from start to finish? Read what Beverly neighbors say on our reviews page.