Electrical Help on a '56 (Long)

[JCantor791@xxxxxxx]

Thanks to everyone who has chimed in on the mysterious black knob.  I hate to 
put you all in suspense but that question has taken a back seat to a more 
important concern - getting the car started again.

After the car was delivered last week I drove it twice for a total of about 
20 miles.  After the second trip the car refused to restart (fortunately it was 
parked safely in my driveway), giving only that infamous clicking sound of a 
dead starter.  I checked contacts and the battery to be sure and then pulled 
the starter.  The solenoid contact broke during removal so I took it to a local 
rebuilder on Monday.  Got it back this afternoon and installed it.  Same 
clicking.  Removed it again and had it bench tested at the local parts store - 
works like a charm.

So now what?  I'm guessing, with some advice from the parts folks and a 
rather knowledgeable neighbor, that the problem is one of two things [or both 
of 
them :-( ]
1.  Starter relay
2.  Ballast resistor

I've measured the resistance across the resistor - ~2 megohms which leads me 
to believe it's dead although I couldn't find a definite value in the service 
manual.

Questions:
-   How can I determine the condition of the starter relay?
-   Where can I get replacements for either/both of these components?

Thanks
Jeff
Trenton, NJ