Job one

A big empty van makes a lot of noise. One of the very first jobs will be to reduce some of the echo in the back of the van - this will be achieved in a number of ways.
Firstly, road noise is transmitted from the tyres up through the wheel arches. These will be treated to some Dynamat before being carpeted.
Then, the large open panels of the sides and roof of the van will be given some weight in the form of self-adhesive flash-banding. This helps to dampen resonance in the panel and stops the booming echo of an empty van.
The gaps between metal panel and plywood panel will then be insulated and finally, the plywood will be treated to a layer of automotive carpet.

There's just two-steps to today's efforts:

Factory ply-lining from Volkswagen

The standard VW lining is okay. The boxes over the wheel arches are a bit crude; held in by screws and batons, then silicone-sealed in position. Time to take these out:

...to reveal a nice pair of shiny wheel arches - almost seems a shame to cover them over!

Over the next few weekends we'll be making the decision on whether the bulkhead stays in or not, choosing the carpet, adding some sound-proofing, and coming up with some ideas for a very special floor.