It’s a rare occasion to witness a young prodigy excel in their field. Even more so, one whom has achieved adult-level skills early on in life. For Mansfield’s Colton Silvey, that is the end result of self-discipline, determination, ambition, and hard work.
At the age of 21, Silvey has already achieved milestones that most spend a lifetime pursuing. He is the oldest son of local business owners, Shawn and Amy Silvey, and the grandson of Ronnie and Carla Silvey. The family legacy courses through the young man’s veins, incorporating classic and modern Corvettes, maintenance, restoration, as well as a new automotive detail product line.
Silvey’s early passion was chronicled in an article released in a National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) magazine in 2023:
“My love for Corvettes started at a very young age when my grandparents brought me a tee shirt from the National Corvette Museum that read, ‘When I Grow Up… I’m Driving a Corvette… LOOK OUT!’ I was six years old at the time, and I fell in love with the red C6 on the shirt. By the time I was 10, my grandfather Ronnie Silvey decided to restore the 1968 Corvette that he had bought in 1970 when he was 20 years old. The car had the same blue and white paint scheme, white top, black interior, and manual transmission that’s on it today. I remember helping him with the car. When I turned 14, my grandfather and I began restoration of a 1976 Corvette that he had bought at an auction. We spent the next few summers on that car, doing everything ourselves: interior, engine, and chassis. We did all the body work together, and my father painted the car. When we had finished, my grandpa gave me the keys and said that it was mine. I will always cherish the hours he and I have spent on Corvettes.”
Silvey would join the National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) with a set goal–to have a Top Flight and McLellan Award-winning car.
In order to fund that goal, Silvey would begin work at his own detailing and restoration business. “…I started saving money. At the age of 15, I started a detailing and restoration business that has given new life to many vehicles over the years. Many people that know me will say that I have the highest standard around for automobile cleanliness. And if you’ve ever seen my own car, you would probably agree; that’s just what I do.”
In 2021, Silvey graduated from Mansfield High School and enrolled at the University of Arkansas in the fall to study electrical engineering. “A week before college began, I found a 1988 35th Anniversary Corvette for sale on Facebook Marketplace,” continued Silvey. “Since I was already an NCRS member, I knew that there was something special about this car. I told my mom that I would really like the car, and she urged me to message the seller. She said that it would be a great way to build my credit score. I debated on it for hours and finally sent the seller an offer. To my surprise it was accepted. We picked up the car that weekend.”
Once he got the car home, the labor of love began. He ordered the NCRS 1987-1989 judging guide and began going through the car using the manual. “I quickly realized that this car was way more original than I thought and reached out to several members asking how to get a car judged. I spent the next year between college work and detailing the ’88 for NCRS judging. I remanufactured a set of lumbar bags for the sport seats, rebuilt the speaker amps, headlight motors, and repaired the original antenna mast.”
His first NCRS event was the Oklahoma Chapter meet, where he earned his first Top Flight Award. He found encouragement from other members to continue the car through the system. Then, in the fall of 2022, Silvey and his grandfather took the car to the Frisco Regional where it received the Top Flight Award with a score of 99.8%.
Silvey has received numerous accolades and recognitions for his meticulous restoration and automotive cleanliness. One of which, the signature on the interior hood his 1988 Corvette by the namesake of the Mark McLellan Mark of Excellence Award.
The Grandfather and Grandson Top Flight Award is earned when the pair’s vehicle receives a top flight together. Silvey noted, however, their roles were reversed. “Usually, it’s the grandfather owning the vehicle bringing his grandson with him, but I owned the car and brought my grandfather with me.”
Silvey would go on to achieve yet another prestigious award, the National McLellan Mark of Excellence, scoring a 99%. “The car still has its original tires from 1988, and has won the prestigious national McLellan Mark-of-Excellence award and many other preservation and restoration Awards. The car has also won awards for Performance verification, meaning that everything operates as it rolled off the factory line and testing was completed without a single failure.”
While working in the automotive detailing business, Silvey found some products, like glass cleaner, inefficient. “After six years of automotive detailing, like many, I quickly realized that glass cleaning is hard. It was challenging to find a glass cleaning product that could be strong enough to remove dirt film from windows but gentle enough to be used on window tints while leaving a streak-free finish. After many failed products, I decided to start making my own. After years of using it in my detailing business it has proved itself effective at removing tough films and leaving a streak-free finish. Soon after I decided to make a detail spray formula that would make detailing vehicles much easier. A detail spray that could make any exterior surface hydrophobic and feel very slick to the touch making a “non-stick” level of surface protection.”
As Silvey continued working on restoring his 1988 35th Anniversary Corvette, he found that some parts were simply unavailable to purchase. Components such as Corvette Sport Seat Lumber Bladders, 1984-93 Corvette Lumbar pump diaphragms, and 1994-96 Corvette Sport Seat Lumbar Bladders. “I was able to use the impression of the original part in the foam of my seat to design and produce seat lumber bladders…I initially made two sets. Someone posted in one of my groups asking about them and I offered to send them the spare I had made…I checked the post the next morning and there were several replies asking to buy them. That’s when I thought I may be on to something.”
The idea for “Silvey Solutions” was born with the notion to tie all his products and passions together. He recalled the moment he came up with his company name. “I was driving, and my dad was in the passenger seat. I had all this time to think…I wanted something that had a special meaning…When I pulled over, I got a napkin out of the console and sketched my logo…I wish I had kept that napkin!”
Silvey Solutions is continuously growing and currently offers Detail Spray, Glass Cleaner, 1984-93 Corvette Sport Seat Lumber Bladders, 1984-93 Corvette Lumbar pump diaphragms, and 1994-96 Corvette Sport Seat Lumbar Bladders. “All of these products are made and produced in the USA. I personally engineered and designed the tooling and processes to manufacture these products.”
Silvey Solutions products can be purchased at Cherokee Tire in Mansfield, Amazon, eBay, and Corvette Central.
“I plan to continue growing this company and expand my product line,” concluded Silvey. Additionally, he has been offered an electrical engineering internship with Rheem working in ATI (Advanced Technology Integration.)
With the monumental success that this young man has seen over years, there is no limit to his undoubtedly bright future. For Silvey, the success is all in the details!
