forming a thin walled cylinder sleeve with an inside and an outside diameter; said inside diameter comprising a cylinder bore diameter;

applying a wear resistant coating having a hardness of RC 60 or more to at least the cylinder bore surface;

forming a compression piston with an outside diameter for mating with the cylinder bore, the compression piston comprising a solid cup shaped element having a solid circular disk-shaped closed end for compressing a gas and an annular cylindrical wall portion for mating with the cylinder bore along most of a longitudinal length of the cylinder bore;

applying a first layer of malleable, vibration dampening material that includes a solid lubricating compound impregnated therein over the piston outside diameter, said first layer being applied in sufficient thickness that the piston diameter is oversized compared to said cylinder bore diameter;

installing the piston into the cylinder bore by a press fit and attaching the piston to a drive mechanism for reciprocating the piston within the cylinder bore until a sufficient amount the first layer of material applied to the piston outside diameter is removed, to provide a substantially zero clearance fit between the piston outside diameter and the cylinder bore;

installing the cylinder sleeve and mating piston into a crankcase formed with a bore for receiving the cylinder sleeve therein, and bonding the cylinder sleeve outside diameter to the crankcase bore;

continuing to remove the first layer of material applied to the piston outside diameter until a substantially uniform non-zero clearance fit is provided between the piston outside diameter and the cylinder bore;

cleaning loose material from the piston and the cylinder sleeve; and,

applying a second layer comprising a hard wear resistant material onto the piston outside diameter over said first layer, said second layer being applied to a thickness consistent with restoring a substantially zero clearance fit between the piston outside diameter and the cylinder bore.