The HonuBus

After developing a love for the ocean as a little girl spending time with her Grandfather in San Diego, plus having strong family ties to the Pacific Islands, Patrisha Wyatt channelled her aquatic affections into her bus restoration with perhaps unequalled intensity!

- ERIC ARNOLD

The Wyatt family, of Saratoga Springs, Utah, stable of VWs currently includes a ’59 seamed gate Double Cab, ’63 ‘TikiBug’, and a ’71 Westfalia (their very first VW), but the time had come for Patrisha to have one to call her very own. “My husband Scott has owned and loved VWs for years, and he pulled me in. I wanted a shared interest, so we built a bus for me!”

This 1966 21 Window Deluxe Sunroof walk-through was purchased from friend Cecil Read in Highland, Utah. It was a great candidate for restoration, already in primer and essentially prepped for painting. Even with the great starting point, it would take over two years for this knockout restoration to fully come together. With the attention to detail, you will learn about here, it’s easy to see why.

For the finishing touches on the bodywork and paint, Patrisha trusted Mike Carnell of Washington County Customs and Collisions in Hurricane, Utah to do the job. “I wanted the bus to be close to an original color, yet still unique” Patrisha explains. The custom Sea Foam Green and Cream two-tone creates a perfect combination. “It reminds me of the water in Hawaii!”

The bus was lowered with a 4½ inch narrowed adjustable beam built by DubFab Engineering, also of Hurricane, UT. Dubai's Michael Anderson handled the stance, suspension, and assisted with the assembly as well.