Which material i used in my modelengines:
Steel from driveshaft, annealed before machining ,do not hardening after work, the steel are hard enough. : Cylinder, crankshaft.
Torsion spring bar for suspension in car, annealed before machining ,do not hardening after work, the steel are hard enough. : Cylinder, crankshaft.
Cast iron between camshaft, cut near as possible against cam before work. : Piston and contrapiston, piston ring, bearing for crank shaft (diesel engines only)
Non ventilated brake disc (often made of cast iron) : Small piston and contrapiston for small engine as 0.2-0,8 cc model engines, piston ring
Waterpump, cylinderhead, engineparts of aluminium, melted and poured to turning bar or pattern of the crankcase to example (need knowledge about casting): Casted crankcase, cylinderhead, back cover, cylinderhead with coolingfin for the sleeve etc.. etc Never for connecting rod who need more strong against pressure, force etc..
The casted crankcase of aluminium are good as bearing for crankshaft.
Duraluminium: connecting rod, back cover, machined crankcase, cylinderhead, cylinderhead with coolingfin for the sleeve.
Old piston: Piston
Bronce: bearing for crank shaft for both model diesel- and glow engines.
Drill rod: Wrist pin
Coilspring: lock ring for wrist pin (inside the piston)
Brass: Parts for carburator as spray bar..
Pianowire: Main needle, idling needle
The picture of 0.5 cc diesel engine: piston of brake disc, crankshaft and cylinder of torsion spring bar for suspension in car, crankcase of aluminium bar. Nothing are impossile
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If you are going to be using a cast iron piston, then steel is probably better for the liner than cast iron. It will probably last longer (avoiding iron running on iron) and is easier to a certain extent to machine, as you won't have to deal with thin-walled iron cylinders, which are very brittle and delicate.
Steel against steel must be hardened against scoring and wearing and it is difficult to make good and precise sleeve and piston, need special tool to grind and fit these parts togheter.
Cast iron against steel are good and do not need hardening sleeve of steel.
Cast iron against cast iron are too good and easy to work, nothing to hardening. Common in our norwegian model engine David Andersen model dieselengines and other model engines of E.T. Westbury. Not knowledge about other of model engines of brands.
Jens Eirik