Ford Transit Custom Campervan Build – Part 4: Sound Deadening the Van.

Welcome to our family camper van build adventure! We’re transforming our Ford Transit Custom into our very own camper van, tackling every step together as a family. With our two young lads getting stuck in alongside us, this project is as much about bonding and learning as it is about creating something amazing together, for us all to enjoy. Join us on this exciting journey as we share every triumph, challenge, and tip along the way – don’t forget to subscribe and follow our story as it unfolds! 🙂

Saturday 22nd February 2025.

Finally, we are now in a position to do the sound deadening! What a journey it’s been to get to this point!

I purchased the insulation and sound deadening as a kit from Combe Valley Campers. My husband, a good camper van friend, and I, had a chat about the insulation side of things, and our friend recommended this kit, which appears to come with everything we need to insulate and sound deaden our van. The kit was available in various van sizes (from kombi to high top, long wheel base etc) and we also opted to upgrade the kit to include the cab insulation, which we will do at a later date. Probably when we attack the front seats… There is a large kit for the LWB Transit but as we don’t have a roof to do, we figured the medium kit would suffice!

Aside from coming in a handy kit form, perfect for newbies, the guys who sell this also have a plethora of helpful ‘how to’ videos on YouTube, and they have one just for this kit. It didn’t stop me from calling them up in a panic about what bits went where though (there were two different foams, one without a silver lining and one with, and I wasn’t sure what went where!), but the guys at the end of the phone were super patient and helpful and told me which boxes were what, and where they had to go. 😅

The first layer you need to apply is the ‘Sound Deadening’. The boys were super keen to finally get started on the van and help us, but unfortunately for them, we decided that the sound deadening wasn’t a task for them. That’s because it was a sticky mat with a thin layer of metal on top, which was really sharp, and even wearing gloves we didn’t want to risk it slicing through and hurting them as they pressed each piece down.

My husband got started by taking each sheet (supplied as a box of sheets, approximately A4 size) and went ahead placing whole sheets in the cavities where they could fit as a whole piece. Me, with a little more patience and a love for finicky jobs, followed behind him, cutting the odd shapes for the areas that were left behind. This was surprisingly labour intensive and I soon discovered that my body is no longer capable of sitting cross legged for hours on end on a cold hard floor 🥴 haha!

We spent the best part of the day working on this, and I couldn’t believe we’d lost a day doing this layer alone. I’m a little worried we’ve not sound deadened something, as there’s still a box left over, I can only assume (and hope!) that that’s because they’ve supplied enough for a van with a roof…?

As we wrapped up the final bits, downed tools and shut the doors, we were both pleasantly surprised by how much difference this stuff had made to the sound and feel of the doors shutting! A guy at Evolution last week had described shutting the tailgate door like “an old church bell” – it definitely didn’t sound like that now! It’s added some weight (obviously) but the doors all sound much nicer now when they shut, almost like how a posh new car door sounds when you shut the door! (Actually, don’t they all self shut these days? 😅)

A simple yet satisfying job – I personally really enjoyed this, but I’m sure my husband is thankful it’s over 🤭!