RAD 800+ RWHP 6.2L Turbo LS Powertrain

800+RWHP Daily-Driver 6.2L turbo aluminum LS 

Expected Q4 2026 release — accepting orders and deposits for early build slots

800+ RWHP changes the entire personality of a car. In a classic or modern-classic chassis, it delivers the kind of acceleration that makes every on-ramp, highway pull, and run through the gears feel like an occasion.

RAD’s 6.2L Turbo LS combines that power with the broad torque, compact packaging, and unmistakable sound that have made the aluminum LS a favorite for serious street builds.

The cam gives it a deeper idle and the right amount of attitude—enough to immediately tell you this is not a stock LS—while preserving clean low-speed operation and excellent street manners. The turbo is sized for quick response and a wide powerband, allowing the engine to pull hard and clean throughout the usable RPM range rather than chasing one impressive number at the top of the dyno sheet.

Choose the six-speed manual for a more traditional, connected driving experience, or pair it with the fully integrated ZF 8HP for rapid shifts, relentless acceleration, and relaxed highway cruising. The eight-speed keeps the engine exactly where it wants to be and makes 800+ RWHP remarkably easy to access.

RAD builds and blueprints the complete engine, matches the turbo and fuel system, supplies the standalone ECU and labeled harness, completes the flex-fuel tune, and dyno-tests the package before delivery.

This is the closest thing to an easy button for putting a fully developed 850+ RWHP Turbo LS into your car. The power, sound, electronics, tune, and available transmission integration are already handled as one complete package.

Available as a complete engine package, with a six-speed manual, or as a fully integrated ZF 8HP powertrain.

Package Highlights

• 800+ RWHP
• Turbocharged 6.2L aluminum LS-based V8
• Fully blueprinted and documented long block
• RAD-specified forged pistons and connecting rods
• Healthy turbo cam with a distinctly cammed idle and excellent street manners
• Responsive single-turbo combination with strong power throughout the usable RPM range
• Sequential port fuel injection and drive-by-wire throttle
• Standard flex-fuel capability for 93 octane, E85 and mixtures between them
• Standalone ECU with a complete labeled engine harness
• Final hot-start, cold-start, idle, cruise, boost and wide-open-throttle tune
• Engine-only, six-speed manual and fully integrated ZF 8HP configurations
• Complete dyno testing before delivery
• Limited remote fine-tuning after installation

Blueprinted 6.2L Aluminum LS

Every RAD engine is completely torn down, cleaned, inspected, measured and built as a complete combination. Parts are selected around the final power level and intended use—not pulled from a generic one-size-fits-all build sheet.

• 6.2L aluminum LS-based block
• Cylinder bores measured for size, taper, out-of-round and piston clearance
• Main housing alignment, deck flatness and deck height checked
• RAD-specified crankshaft inspected, measured and prepared
• Crankshaft journals checked for size, taper, runout and surface condition
• RAD-specified forged pistons
• RAD-specified forged connecting rods
• Turbo-specific piston-ring package with final ring gaps set by RAD
• Main and rod bearing clearances set for the intended oil, power level and street use
• Complete rotating assembly balanced
• Piston deck height, compression ratio, crankshaft endplay and rod side clearance verified
• Upgraded head and main fasteners where specified
• Multi-layer steel head gaskets
• Blueprinted oil pump and oil-control system
• Application-appropriate wet-sump oil pan and pickup
• Harmonic damper matched to the finished engine combination
• New gaskets, seals, bearings and critical fasteners throughout
• Complete build measurements recorded for the finished engine

Cylinder Heads, Cam and Valvetrain

This combination does not need an oversized cam or a lazy low-speed powerband to make the number.

The 6.2L displacement, rectangular-port heads and properly matched single turbo allow RAD to use a cam that sounds serious, pulls cleanly from low RPM and still has the airflow to carry 800+ RWHP.

• Aluminum rectangular-port cylinder heads
• Heads fully disassembled, cleaned and inspected
• Performance valve job
• Valve guides, stems, installed height, chamber volume and head flatness checked
• RAD-specified intake and exhaust valves
• Turbo-specific valve springs matched to cam lift, boost and engine speed
• Matched retainers and locks
• RAD-specified hydraulic-roller turbo cam
• Cam selected for a healthy idle, strong off-boost torque, fast turbo response and upper-RPM airflow
• New hydraulic-roller lifters and lifter trays
• Upgraded pushrods selected after final valvetrain geometry is established
• Rocker system inspected and upgraded where specified
• Performance timing set
• Pushrod length, rocker geometry, cam timing and piston-to-valve clearance verified
• Complete crankcase-ventilation and catch-can provisions

Complete Single-Turbo System

The turbocharger is matched to the engine and the car—not selected simply because it supports a large number on a compressor map.

The goal is an 800+ RWHP combination that responds quickly, makes strong midrange torque and continues pulling hard through the top of the gear.

• Single premium turbocharger from an established OEM manufacturer
• Compressor and turbine combination selected for the finished vehicle, gearing and intended use
• Properly sized external wastegate system
• Compressor bypass or blow-off valve
• Electronic boost control through the standalone ECU
• Turbo oil-feed and drain system
• Turbo coolant plumbing where required
• Required engine-side fittings, lines and heat protection
• Manifold-pressure, intake-temperature, fuel-pressure and exhaust-lambda monitoring
• ECU-controlled boost by gear where appropriate
• Separate gasoline and ethanol boost strategies
• Engine safeties for boost, fuel pressure, oil pressure, lambda, coolant temperature and intake temperature
• Turbocharger, wastegate and boost-control system tested with the finished engine

RAD supplies the turbocharger and complete engine-side hardware, along with the connection sizes, component locations and installation requirements. The installing shop can then place the turbo, intercooler, exhaust and charge piping where they fit the individual chassis best.

Intake, Fuel System, ECU and Tune

The complete package is built around modern drive-by-wire control, sequential EFI and flex fuel.

• Performance intake manifold matched to the powerband
• Electronic drive-by-wire throttle body
• High-flow E85-compatible injectors
• E85-compatible fuel rails and engine-side fuel plumbing
• Flex-fuel sensor
• Fuel-pressure sensor
• Wideband oxygen sensor
• Individual coil-near-plug ignition
• RAD-specified coils and spark plugs
• Standalone ECU
• Complete labeled engine harness
• ECU control of throttle, boost, fuel pumps and cooling fans
• Closed-loop fuel control
• Oil-pressure, fuel-pressure, coolant-temperature, intake-temperature, ethanol-content, boost and lambda monitoring
• Complete 93-octane and E85 flex-fuel tune
• Automatic tuning and boost blending as ethanol content changes
• Cold-start, hot-start and heat-soaked restart tuning
• Stable cammed idle with normal accessory and electrical loads
• Finished cruise, part-throttle, transient, boost and wide-open-throttle tuning
• High-speed data logging
• Tachometer, speedometer and common aftermarket-gauge provisions
• Full ECU and 8HP integration when ordered as a complete automatic powertrain

The tune is finished before delivery. Limited remote fine-tuning is available after installation to account for the final exhaust, intercooler, vehicle weight, gearing and driver preference.

Available Configurations

Complete Engine Package

For a customer retaining an existing transmission or selecting a vehicle-specific transmission separately.

• Complete blueprinted 6.2L Turbo LS
• Single-turbo system and boost-control hardware
• Intake, injectors, fuel rails and engine-side fuel plumbing
• Standalone ECU and labeled engine harness
• Complete flex-fuel and boost tune
• Engine-side oil, coolant, vacuum and electrical connections
• Flywheel, flexplate and transmission-interface options available by application

Six-Speed Manual Powertrain

For the driver who still wants a clutch pedal and direct control over every shift.

• RAD-specified T56 Magnum-based six-speed
• Clutch and flywheel matched to the engine’s torque and intended use
• Bellhousing and engine interface
• Hydraulic release system
• Application-appropriate shifter configuration
• Reverse-lockout control
• Vehicle-speed provisions
• Tune and boost strategy matched to the transmission, gearing and vehicle

Fully Integrated ZF 8HP Powertrain

The flagship Turbo LS package—and the closest thing to an easy button for putting this level of power into a street-driven classic or modern-classic.

• Rear-wheel-drive ZF 8HP matched to the engine’s torque output
• Factory internal transmission controller
• Complete standalone ECU and TCU integration
• Coordinated engine torque control during shifts
• Shift timing, shift firmness and converter lockup tuned by RAD
• Automatic, sport and manual-shift modes
• Optional paddle shifting
• Gear-position, transmission-temperature and vehicle-speed outputs
• Boost and torque strategy by gear
• Engine and transmission tuned and dyno-tested together

The 8HP keeps the engine in the strongest part of the powerband, puts the power down more effectively and gives the car genuinely modern cruising and shift behavior. It makes an 850+ RWHP combination easier to use without taking away its character.

Complete Engine-Side Hardware

• Blueprinted oil pump, oil pan and pickup
• Oil-pressure and oil-temperature sensors
• Boost-capable crankcase-ventilation system
• Catch-can provisions
• Water pump, thermostat and coolant outlets
• Harmonic damper
• Accessory drive as specified
• Engine-side fuel, oil, coolant, vacuum and boost fittings
• Connections for common aftermarket gauges
• Air-filter, turbo-inlet, intercooler and charge-pipe sizing specifications
• Fuel-system, cooling-system and exhaust requirements supplied with the package

Dyno Testing and Final Checkout

Every Turbo LS is run, tuned and checked before it leaves RAD.

• Initial startup and heat cycling
• Oil-pressure, fuel-pressure, coolant-flow, sensor and wiring checks
• Engine break-in under load
• Steady-state and part-throttle dyno tuning
• Drive-by-wire throttle tuning
• Turbo-response and boost-control tuning
• Cold-start, hot-start and heat-soak testing
• 93-octane and E85 flex-fuel testing
• Full-load and full-power dyno pulls
• ZF 8HP shift and converter-lockup tuning where equipped
• Final compression and leakdown test
• Final filter, fluid, spark-plug and datalog inspection
• Dyno sheet and final tune files supplied with the powertrain

Documentation and Support

• Complete engine-build documentation
• Recorded blueprint measurements
• Major component specifications
• ECU and tune files
• Engine and chassis wiring diagrams
• Clearly labeled power, ground, ignition, starter and gauge connections
• Initial-start and installation checkout instructions
• Fuel, oil and cooling-system requirements
• Turbo, intercooler, intake and exhaust sizing requirements
• Transmission wiring and control information where equipped
• Service and fluid specifications
• Limited remote startup and fine-tuning support

Reserve an Early Turbo LS Build

This is what a serious modern powertrain should feel like in a classic: unmistakable V8 sound, instant response, a broad rush of torque, and 800+ RWHP waiting whenever you put your foot down.

The cam gives it the character a modified LS should have. The turbo adds an entirely different level of acceleration. And because the complete combination is built, wired, tuned, and dyno-tested together, none of that performance comes at the expense of the way the car starts, idles, cruises, or behaves in traffic.

Add the fully integrated ZF 8HP and the car gains another dimension. Closely spaced gears keep it pulling without interruption, shifts happen almost instantly, and deep overdrive makes highway driving comfortable. Leave it in automatic and let it work; select a gear yourself and use all 800+ RWHP.

It is brutally fast when you want it, completely usable when you do not, and developed to feel like one finished powertrain rather than an engine surrounded by individually selected parts.

Expected release: Q4 2026

RAD is accepting orders and deposits for early 6.2L Turbo LS engine and complete powertrain builds now.

Contact RAD to discuss your car, transmission choice, power goals, and available build slots.

RAD — Engineered Powertrain Solutions. Ready to Drive.