Hello Terry! As I?m one of those "Automotive Archaeologists" I rushed down to my garage, throw away 8 winterwheels (its law in Sweden except on old cars)just to make it possible to find out about the coluor of the firewall to my Continental. To make you even more confused, it has been painted black and before that silver almost certain with a spraygun and not a toilettbrush.
George, the rubber seal with the silver paint inside faced the passenger side of the firewall and sealed up against the toolbox. The old rubber from mine is the same way - well past the sell by date but still showing silver inside. tommm