Hello,
i have a 68 beetle, (love it), anyways starter went out, its a manual and i was informed that a stater for a automatic bug is better than the style for the manuals, true or is someone full of crap, also i need some new parts and cool custom parts like chrome engine stuff, any suggestions about a website or a catalog to check out? thanks alot
An auto starter will work. I don't know if it's worth the extra expense. The main difference is that it eliminates the need for the bushing in the transaxle housing.
If you have a basically stock engine, which for the '68 would have been a 1500 single port, the normal starter will offer years of dependable service. Even up to a mild 1776cc no special starter is needed. It's only for high compression performance engines that you really have to start worrying about whether the starter will perform right.
I would, however replace the bushing every time I replaced the starter. A worn bushing is the number one cause of starter binding and failure.
As far as bling for the Bug, get a copy of Hot VWs magazine. There are dozens of ads for everything you could imagine.