Orange Paint on 8 3/4 Axle Housing Ends

Others have posted that the outer ends of 8 3/4 axle housings are bare metal. Of course, all the rest of the housings were painted black.

While cleaning up the 8 3/4 axle housing from my '69 Barracuda, I found remnants of orange paint. Can't tell if the whole outer end was orange, or if just a paint stripe all around, or a paint stripe part way around, or other. See photos.

Any discussion or photos about paint daubs on the outer ends would be appreciated.

Here is a restored picture of the axle end from my 72 Demon.Did not see any sign of a paint mark

what was the reasoning for leaving the ends of the axle bare metal when they painted the rest of it?

I was always told a jig was used when painting the rear housing and it grabbed it on the ends of the housing hence no paint on the end cap area.