Porsche 993 Cluster Recover RennsportKC

Had this 993C2S come in this week for a bit of an odd project. In the past on my radar/laser shifter installs, I have talked about how I do not mount the LED’s and control knobs that came with the kits because I hate molesting dashes. Radar units have a finite lifespan before they are outdated technology. Currently, that is about 5-7 years. After that, they are obsolete, and relying in them can get you a big ticket. The problem them becomes removing the units and having holes in your dash! This goes the same for K40 units…..only from the get go. Junk. Pure junk. They out date themselves before they ever come out of the box. So when you go buy that new car from the dealer, and they try and sell you a K40 system (because K40 markets to dealers specifically with a great incentive program), tell them to shove it! The K40 installs include 3 led’s for visual alerts, along with a control knob……unfortunately, the previous owner of this 33k mile 993 C2S had all that permanently installed in the dash. They installed the LED’s up by the instrument gauges, punching holes in the leather, and then installed the knob in a VERY expensive trim piece down by the key and headlight switch area. So, I had some work to do.

Pushed back to a spot out of the way so I could work without distractions.

After a bit of work, I had the dash apart, gauges out, and the leather peeled off the face of the dash. Also, I have the trim piece for the key area removed which was one of the pieces damaged by the K40 install. That little piece runs about $400. The big issue with replacing the leather face around the cluster is that the leather runs down behind the lower trim pieces. While I had the one removed, the other side around the CCU/radio I did not want to have to remove as they rarely come off intact. We didn’t want to spend another $500 plus for that side.

The old leather piece off the car. You can see the two LED holes at the top of the leather.

Then it was time to replace it with a replacement piece of leather. A light coating of spray adhesive to bond the new material, the the gauges to hold everything in place while it bonds.

Slowly getting there. I was luckily able to work the leather behind the CCU/Radio trim piece with a bit of patience and trial/error. A couple of dry runs, remove, repeat, then attempt with glue. Worked out in the end, but was time consuming.

And then it got serious. The new piece did not come with a hole for the key light, so I had to cut that out. I won’t tell you the last time I used the scalpel, but it was probably in head/neck anatomy…..well not that particular blade….

And installed.

A lot of work to fix someone’s install. After that, a quick replacement of the spoiler wing harness in the rear, and out the door she goes!