My FC7 Challenger had its battery tray replaced some time in the past. The engine bay is obviously purple, but the repo tray is black. Should the tray be black or purple? In other words, was the tray installed already in the engine compartment when the factory painted everything?
You see black ones a lot in cars but I think that they (as you suspect) were origonally painted after fitting so they would be body colour.
Can't say for 100% sure though and I have been proved wrong so many times it hurts.