Mopar virgin checking in with new 1969 Barracuda - with questions.... ;)

...and to answer your previous question, those squares are for ventilation like you suspected. Sorry to hear about your paint woes. I know less than nothing about shooting color, but to do Mopar paint correctly requires that the engine bay also be body color. Either way, your car looks really good for a driver, which is what I assume the car is for you. Also, fogging the engine bay black is a shortcut that does not look nearly as good, in my honest opinion.

Enjoy the car for a while, see how the paint holds up and start saving to do it the way that you want down the road. These cars were meant to be driven and enjoyed.

Shane