Cooling....

[MichaelElsom]

Some readers will already have had their ears bent in my quest for help and all have been very helpful indeed. Thanks very much.
Our attempt to get the Augusta to the GNW failed somewhere in South Yorkshire when the car boiled for the third time and sprayed rusty water/K-seal/whatever down the bonnet. This was after two splits in the header tank had been repaired with epoxy resin - one of which was still holding when the third boiling happened. It was noticeable that after the second repair there were tell-tale bubbles in the radiator water (suggestive of head gasket failure) but the car was starting readily and running very sweetly - hence the reason why we pressed on.
Helpful discussion on the GNW with Don W and a Lambda owner led me to think that head gasket failure was the cause of the problem - and by the way there was also a bulge in the radiator header tank on the nearside as well as the two splits!
Three people have generously offered head gaskets or help in sourcing one and that remains an avenue which will have to be followed.   
In the meantime, James P asked if the radiator was silted up. I didn't think it could be as prior to the car coming off the road in 2018 I had no boiling problems but decided to investigate. After running through one elderly bottle of Radflush (Monday) and then a new bottle of some Wynns' similar (yesterday) I could only add 5 litres of water to the radiator as opposed to the 7.5 it should hold. Suspecting that opening the drain tap was not letting the whole engine drain, I used a hosepipe to flush out the radiator in both directions of flow and the engine as well. Once I had done the latter I used an airline to blow out any remaining water. Quite a lot came out.
When I refilled the engine with water it took 6.25 litres - still 1.25 short. Running the engine at a fast idle for 10 mins did not see any noticeable change in the water level and nor did letting it stand fon an hour or so after that exercise.
I suspect the radiator is silted up - particularly as there is a noticeably cooler area in the middle of the radiator roughly opposite the centre of the fan. It warms up to towards the outer edges.
Before I commit myself to further visits to radiator repairers, has anybody had a similar experience or discovered that the stated capacity is larger than it actually is?
More apologies for tales of woe from this direction.....
     

[Running Board]

just too add to this Michael as I told you i had all these symptoms with my Augusta not long after i bought it , i went on a longish run which must have disturbed silt in the block or rad and partially blocked the rad , my dad removed top and bottom tanks and cleaned the core out with the stainless steel insert out of a wiper blade, correct size and shape to rod out the tubes , no trouble since , good luck repairing, j

[Mark Dibben]

Just to add comfort that this issue is not unusual, take a look at my 'Paul Atkinson's Augusta' thread and early on it you will see the silt problem we had and the cylinder head gasket failure we had around No.3 (rearmost, nearside where all the exhaust gases pass around). There is a small waterway around there that needs to be absolutely clear. We have gone to Evans Water-less Coolant to prevent any further silting or radiator rust. Chris is hopefully going to drive the car next week, so we shall see. Fingers crossed.

[JohnMillham]

It's number 4 cylinder, the way Lancia number them!

[Kari]

It's the blue connection that saves the day!

Karl

[MichaelElsom]

Thanks everyone - the head gasket has failed in this very spot before as revealed when Morris rebuilt the engine in 2016.
The radiator is having a new film fitted - should be ready by Thursday.
After that we will set about leak-down testing and gas analysis before any further dismantling.
Fingers crossed......

[MichaelElsom]

The saga continues.....
The radiator was in fact badly clogged and I had a new core fitted. There were still bubbles in the water and so I decided to go ahead to the next step and remove the head. The car stood for a month or so after which the level in the header tank dropped and the level in the sump rose.
I removed the plugs and turned the engine over on the starter in order to avoid risk of hydraulic lock. No water came out of the cylinders but placing a screwdriver through the plug hole in No 4 (the one nearest the exhaust outlet port) revealed the presence of water. The engine still started readily (after replacing the plugs!) but after a short running of the engine the oil was cloudy...
The head has now been removed - I confess by someone else as I am rather frightened of overhead camshafts, my background being almost entirely side-valve - and the report is that there is a crack on the outside of the head. Plainly that isn't the cause of water in the bore but needs attending to. I am going to look at the engine on Monday morning first thing.
In the meantime has anyone got any recommendations as to repairers - the ones nearest to me are Slinden and Surelock (both well known in the VSCC world). I have found a company in Burton - Lockwell Engineering - who appear to use a similar process to Surelock but I know nothing of them. If I stick with the head on the car it will need repairing - and it has the advantage of having been twin-ported. I do have a spare engine whose head has not got that advantage - and whose condition is unknown.     
All opinions gratefully received - my e-mail address is michael.elsom@btopenworld.com if you don't want your views made public!