Does anyone know if this technology has made its way down to regular joes rebuilding old car engines yet?
https://newatlas.com/ford-plasma-engine/40728/
It might be nice for keeping original blocks going.
Original Post
The consensus on engine forums is- metal sprays are not simple, not dependable and not cheap enough for street engine repair yet, even after 50+ years of trying. Getting a reliable bond from metal sprays to used cast iron cylinders like in our Clevelands (with exposed carbon in cast iron cylinder walls) seems the main problem, and matching cylinder hone material & techniques to the really hard coatings from metal spraying is the second. Even diamond hones don't work on some materials that have been tried.
I think those examples shown are modern aluminum blocks that may already have metal sprayed cylinders or factory sleeves. So there the problems are much different than all cast iron engines. I would explore steel replacement sleeves for high performance rebuilds that need new cylinders today, and even those need special installation techniques and specific rings. Darton Sleeves in L.A. has used their own version of ductile cast iron with much success for decades, at Bonneville and in Pro Stock drag racing. But I could be wrong....