I'm not new to classic cars but just purchased my first vw. I purchased a solid 68 bug. It's complete except for an engine. Its a decent driver quality car at the moment . If anyone has a better idea here is my plan
1. Find an engine and get the car running and on the road. Since I've never actually driven it I'd like to enjoy it for a bit before I tear it down. Of course I have lots of questions about what size engine to get, where to get it, how much should I spend?
2. Upgrade brakes to disc.
3. Collect parts for those that need replacement.
4. Strip it down to the pan, have it painted and put the whole thing back together.
Any flaws with my plan? The goal is to have just short of a show car. I want very nice driver quality car detailed well.

Welcome! Sounds like you have a good plan going so far.

Here's what I'm starting with.

Welcome! If you're new to VW's, I would suggest getting your car running and enjoying it as is for now. That will give you time to figure out what you really like. Once you have a clear picture of what you really want, then start building it. Sounds like that's pretty much your plan, so good luck!

Looks like it is in decent shape, the PO put early bumpers on it.

Any type 1 motor will work, the best stock one was the 1600 dual port, but they are weak sauce powerwise. Me personally I like to build my own motors and I have an addiction to type 4 motors and EFI/computer ign

Whatever you do, make sure you go through the brakes first BEFORE you drive it. I like to replace all the wheel cylinders, master cylinder, and rubber brake lines at the very least. I also avoid chinese brake parts like the plague, they are absolute junk. I buy most of my motor/brake parts from aircooled.net, they only sell the good stuff.

You've come to the right place, Welcome! Check out a few VW car shows, two local shows next month and the Harvest Show in Austin in Oct. Hope two see there, look for people in dLk shirts and say hello

Welcome! Looks like a solid start you've got there. Like others have said, I would just get it on the road safe and reliable, drive it a lot, and go to a bunch of VW shows to get ideas. Take your time deciding on what direction you want to go with the car.
If you haven't seen it yet, check out bugselecta (someone can post the link, I'm on my phone and don't have it), it let's you make an image of a beetle like yours where you can change the color, height, wheels, tires, accessories, etc, to try out different looks. Its a great way to kill some time

Nice '68.

Looks like a great car to start with having fun with

Ok. Thanks for confirming my general plan. Can anyone give me a concise (quick) primer on engines? I'm confussed. I see lots of engine displacements & lots of options, etc. I'm going to want a steetable motor, fairly quick, highway cruiser. Where am I going to find a motor? The internet is full of them, vw vedors have them all over too and the prices seem to vary greatly. Do I look for a long block and build the rest? Do I look for complete motor? Do I find an old motor to rebuild? I know the answers to that have cost implications. I'm not adversed to maybe finding a motor to get my bug running knowing it might not be the final motor I use. I also don't want to waste a bunch of money redoing somthing down the road if I don't have to. If I could find the right set up now I'm sure I'd be ahead down the road.