No Sport Chrono? No problem — if you’re brave. Cars without the factory Sport Chrono option have no pod, no wiring and a blank dash top, but with a handful of Porsche parts, a custom loom and some careful cutting, the 997 Chrono display can be retrofitted. This is not plug-and-play: it means cutting into your dashboard and splicing wires, and it is not reversible.
⚠️ Read this first. This retrofit involves cutting the dashboard and splicing into the car’s wiring. Work carefully, double-check every wire before connecting, and accept that you do this entirely at your own risk — see our product disclaimer. If you’re not comfortable with any step, find a professional who is — a good auto electrician or trimmer — or don’t attempt the retrofit at all.
This guide is based on a real owner retrofit documented on 911uk — credit to C11BRA for pioneering it and sharing the write-up. Read the full thread with photos here: Retro-fitting the 997 Chrono touchscreen clock — mission accomplished (911uk.com).
Porsche parts you’ll need
These are the genuine parts that make up the Sport Chrono pod and its mounting. Used pods appear regularly on eBay and at breakers — or order new from a Porsche dealer.
| Part | Part number | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| Upper pod housing, black leather covered | 997 552 371 00 A03 | 1 |
| Retaining clips | 999 507 920 01 | 4 |
| Lower pod housing | 997 552 373 01 | 1 |
| T10 Torx screws | 999 919 167 09 | 4 |
Plus, of course, the 997 Chrono display itself, and a custom wiring loom (below).
The custom wiring loom
Factory Sport Chrono cars have a loom waiting behind the dash. Without it, you need a loom with the pod connector on one end and five flying leads on the other. The lead colours and what they must connect to:
| Loom wire | Connects to | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ⚪ White | CAN HI (display CAN bus, high) | Plug C, pin C1 — “CAN DISPLAY HIGH” |
| 🔵 Blue | CAN LO (display CAN bus, low) | Plug C, pin C2 — “CAN DISPLAY LOW” |
| 🔴 Red | Permanent 12V — Terminal 30 | Plug A (black), pin A4 — “TERM 30” |
| ⚫ Black | Ground — Terminal 31 | Plug A (black), pin A8 — “TERM 31” |
| 🟢 Green | 12V wake-up | Plug C, pin C4 — “WAKE UP”. Must read 0V with ignition off and 12V with ignition on |
Where to splice
All five connections are made behind the head unit, which keeps the wiring run to the pod short. Remove the head unit and identify Plug C (the connector carrying the display CAN pair and wake-up) and Plug A (black) (power and ground):
- Plug C — pin C1 CAN DISPLAY HIGH, pin C2 CAN DISPLAY LOW, pin C4 WAKE UP
- Plug A (black) — pin A4 Terminal 30 (permanent 12V), pin A8 Terminal 31 (ground)
💡 Verify before you connect. In the retrofit documented on 911uk, the CAN pair at the red radio plug was yellow/blue (CAN HIGH) and black/blue (CAN LOW) — but the author found car-side colours can be inverted between cars. Confirm the pins with a multimeter (and the wake-up lead: 0V ignition off, 12V ignition on) before making any joint permanent.
The retrofit, step by step
- Gather the parts. Pod upper and lower housings, clips, screws, the display and the custom loom.
- Mask and mark. Run masking tape along the dash top gap — it protects the leather and makes cleanup easier. Use the upper housing (or a template cut from its outline) to mark the aperture.
- Check the airbag first. The aperture sits on the dash top near the passenger airbag. Before you cut anything, satisfy yourself that your cut line, the pod and its fixings will keep well clear of the airbag, its cover and its deployment path. Never cut into or weaken the airbag cover or its seams. If you are in any doubt, stop and take professional advice.
- Cut the leather and foam. A sharp knife, slowly, following your template.
- Cut the hard plastic beneath. A rotary tool (Dremel with an angle adapter works well) gives a cleaner cut than a hot knife. Don’t worry about minor blemishes — the pod covers the edge.
- Vacuum out the debris before it disappears into the demister vents — a blast of compressed air helps.
- Route the loom. Feed it from the pod aperture down behind the dash to the head unit opening.
- Splice the five connections at Plug C and Plug A as above, verifying each with a multimeter first.
- Test before final assembly. Connect the display, turn on the ignition and confirm it wakes, shows the time and reads temperatures.
- Build the pod. Fit the display into the housings with the four T10 screws exactly as in our standard installation guide, clip the pod into your new aperture, and refit the head unit.
Finishing touches from the 911uk build worth copying: a thin felt gasket around the aperture stops squeaks and tidies the cut edge, and the result — in the author’s words — looks “OEM to me.”
Ready to lose the blank?
Questions about the retrofit or the custom loom? Get in touch before you order — we’re happy to talk it through.