The dates at which the Ranken coach was altered and re-upholstered in new coated fabrics cannot be definitively established. Historical research shows, however, that the alterations to the roof structure and the installation of the current exterior roof coating must have occurred before 1938, and that the current interior upholstery must have been installed between 1923 and 1938. RAHS records and contemporary newspaper articles strongly suggest that at least some of this work was undertaken between May 1937 and January 1938 in order to prepare the coach for the Sydney Sesquicentenary celebrations in 1938.
Physical analysis of the interior upholstery material, including visual examination under magnification, solubility tests, FTIR, and Py-GC–MS, suggest that it is an alkyd material. Alkyd coatings were invented in 1901 and had become widely used as surface coatings by the late 1920s, so it is quite possible that an alkyd-coated fabric could have been used on the coach between 1923 and 1938. Visual examination also suggested that the material had had an additional topical coating applied, either when it was installed or at a later date and probably to improve either its look or weatherproofing performance. It was not possible, however, to identify the nature of this topical material in more detail in this study.
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