Working on my 69 Z. Were the control arms painted and then the ball joints riveted in place?
The control arm was assembled to the shaft with bushings and hardware, dipped in paint. Ball joint [and bumper] was installed afterwards and remained natural finish. Which in WI is rust...
Of course i just painted mine yesterday and didn't think about it. Thanks William, maybe i will throw some rust colored paint on them and save nature some time.