chrome plated cylinders?

[safe]

A question for you engine specialists.

Can you chrome plate old Alusil cylinders instead of Nicasil plating them, like the old 911 R?
What are the pro/con with chrome plating?

[cnavarro]

You can, but I wouldn't recommend it. Chrome has many issues. It works well for low rpm engines <4000 rpm and that's why it's used in general aviation, but doesn't fare well for our use. Porsche realized the oiling limitations and that's why the early aluminum chrome cylinders came 'dimpled' to hold oil. US Chrome will do it, but for roughly the same price of nikasil, why chance it? Even then it won't have any dimples like the factory cylinders.

[safe]

So they don't have any honed crosshatch pattern to hold oil? To hard?

I'm just asking because I learned that a local company does this chrome plating and a friend talked about doing it to an aircoold 2-stroker. I then rememberd that Porsche had used it.

[cnavarro]

The dimples were in addition to the honing crosshatch in the chrome plating. The chrome sheds oil very quickly, unlike nikasil, to which oil clings very well.

[safe]

Ok, thank for clearing it up for me!