so the trunk light was attached to its normal position along with the wire clip in its normal position and the wire was shoved into the nearest holes and the holes covered or not covered with tape.
Yes - wire was "wound" up is a loop and placed in the nearest trunk hinge hole. It may have been wrapped with masking tape as a bundle - can't be sure, But seems like you have the basics
I still dont get the rational of the unpainted bolts. What is the logic? Lost body colored bolts at dearborn and new bolts at iona. It seems it would be all or none.
Consider the possibility of both hinge to trunk lid bolts being placed in the hinge at the top end to retain the insert in place during transport.
-During the paint process one painter applies paint up the hinge arm to the point just past the first bolt. Result - one bolt on each side gets painted.
-Another painter paints all the way to the end of the hinge coating both bolts. Result - both painted.
A possibility and explaination IMHO