Key heads, anyone? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

dieseldiehard · #16 01-21-2019, 12:03 AM

for a few years I've had the OE key head sitting around procrastinating on replacing the weak one on my '87 300D.
I bought several of these maybe 10-15 years ago when they were cheaper, I don't think I paid over $5 for one but now they list at $9.78

I discovered that unless you use some cyanoacrylate (crazy) glue they don't last long at all and thats not saying much, they are simply not worth the effort.

I just saw you are going into production (again) so I added my name to the list!
when ready for payment send me a PM, thanks
DDH

foolio · #17 01-21-2019, 09:55 PM

Added my name to the list.

renaissanceman · #18 01-23-2019, 12:07 PM

The anodizing is finished!

Assuming test fitting goes well, and if your name is on the list, my assistant will begin to contact you all next week by email starting from top to bottom. We will only have 5 red heads of each type to start, so get on the list if you want one.

renaissanceman · #19 01-28-2019, 07:04 PM

The first run of parts have arrived and look absolutely beautiful:

We're going to start contacting the preorder folks in the google spreadsheet today and tomorrow and will ship as payment and shipping details are recieved.

We have some that are not spoken for at this point, so if you want one or more, add your name to the list!

renaissanceman · #20 01-30-2019, 07:47 PM

Thank you all who actually responded to our emails and got your pre-orders.

As of now, we are opening up the remaining inventory for live ordering:
http://blenddoor.com/product/billet-aluminum-key-head/

If you reserved and did not respond to our emails, please do so now to make sure you get your parts since they are moving fast.

unknowncross · #21 02-08-2019, 12:10 AM

Dang those look nice. I wish I had the original key to my car, I would order a set.

h3ffe · #22 02-10-2019, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unknowncross

Dang those look nice. I wish I had the original key to my car, I would order a set.

Call the classic center in Irvine and order one. You just have to email a scan of your DL and title. Took two days for w123 and about a week for w124. Cheaper than the dealer.

dieseldiehard · #23 02-11-2019, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by renaissanceman

Thank you all who actually responded to our emails and got your pre-orders.

As of now, we are opening up the remaining inventory for live ordering:
http://blenddoor.com/product/billet-aluminum-key-head/

If you reserved and did not respond to our emails, please do so now to make sure you get your parts since they are moving fast.

Got mine! Very nice work!

renaissanceman · #24 02-11-2019, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieseldiehard

Got mine! Very nice work!

I would love to see a photo of it installed!

renaissanceman · #25 02-13-2019, 04:04 PM

I am looking at making a second run of these. The "non-traditional" red color was very popular, so I'm going to make more red ones, but maybe more of dark crimson red, the last ones were getting close to the pink spectrum. I'm also considering doing a couple other colors to add some variation.

Alec300SD · #26 03-21-2019, 01:47 AM

Renaissanceman, thanks for providing top-notch products like your braided Viton fuel retun hose and billet keyheads.

I used three of your billet keyheads, two of the early style (in Black) and one of the later style (in Red) to repair three of my keys.
Both new dealer provided keys for 'Desert Rose' had failures of the snap-together keyheads after a few weeks of service.
The narrow sidewinder key that came with 'Stormcloud' had a functional, albeit unattractive, keyhead replacement done by the PO.
I think 'Stormcloud' may have been owned by a forum member before she turned up at the Newark PNP "Builder" corral.
I recall seeing her key in a previous forum post, but the Photobucket link is long gone, so I can't locate the post or the PO.

The narrow sidewinder key is, I guess, a third style of key blank.
It fit rather loosely in the Red keyhead, and could pivot about 30 degrees.
I filled the cavity with purple threadlocker and let it cure for 24 hours.
That fixed the looseness of the key in the keyhead.

I also used the purple threadlocker on the Black keyheads as well.

renaissanceman · #27 03-22-2019, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alec300SD

Renaissanceman, thanks for providing top-notch products like your braided Viton fuel retun hose and billet keyheads.

I used three of your billet keyheads, two of the early style (in Black) and one of the later style (in Red) to repair three of my keys.
Both new dealer provided keys for 'Desert Rose' had failures of the snap-together keyheads after a few weeks of service.
The narrow sidewinder key that came with 'Stormcloud' had a functional, albeit unattractive, keyhead replacement done by the PO.
I think 'Stormcloud' may have been owned by a forum member before she turned up at the Newark PNP "Builder" corral.
I recall seeing her key in a previous forum post, but the Photobucket link is long gone, so I can't locate the post or the PO.

The narrow sidewinder key is, I guess, a third style of key blank.
It fit rather loosely in the Red keyhead, and could pivot about 30 degrees.
I filled the cavity with purple threadlocker and let it cure for 24 hours.
That fixed the looseness of the key in the keyhead.

I also used the purple threadlocker on the Black keyheads as well.

Thank you for your kind words! I really appreciate the feedback and I'm glad I can do a small part to fix some long-standing issues with our cars.

I should have a second run (100 heads -- 50 black, 20 red, 10 silver, 10 blue) of key heads in hand by next week, I just got some pictures from the anodizing shop:

Get them while they are hot!

renaissanceman · #28 03-28-2019, 07:43 PM

The wait is over for the new key heads! We now have all four colors that were requested by popular demand by w123/w126 owners in stock and shipping out. Limited quantities on the red, silver and blue.

The first generation keys that many of you bought were beautiful and I didn't think they could be prettier until I got the package from the anodizing shop today! Our prices have also been reduced by a couple bucks to reflect the larger run we made this time. More "late" style keys are going to be put into production and will be available in pretty colors very soon!

https://blenddoor.com/product/billet-aluminum-key-head/