The front spindles, steering knickles, drag link and tie rod ends should have all been raw metal finish, but I know of several cars that have had them powder coated with a similar looking finish to keep it looking fresh and to keep the rust scale for setting in. That our you could clear them to get a little more natural look. All though you might need to find a way to flatten out the clear so it doesn't look to glossy. I'm sure there are several others on here that will chime in to give more examples. This is just some of what I have seen.
Jesse