Ed Shadle is the ultimate do-it-yourselfer. Now nearly 70, he dreams of breaking the world land speed record, and to achieve his goal, he’s built himself the ultimate racer.

He took an old, beat-up fighter jet and turned it into a jet-powered car — in his garage!

Ed says he and his business partner purchased the old Lockheed F-104 for $25,000, and for awhile, it sat on a flatbed truck in front of his, which quickly became the talk of the neighborhood.

It took 3 years of rebuilding pieces and finding parts through scrounging, tenacity and networking until Ed finally got the old jet shaped into a racecar.

Now, he’s got his sights set on the British. In 1997, a British team, with millions of dollars in sponsorship money, set the world land speed record by reaching 763 mph. Ed is aiming for 800 mph.

The former Air Force vet says since he knew planes pretty well, he figured this small F-104 could make an ideal start for a new racecar.

Plus, Ed feels his mission is destined. He eventually found out the tail number of his jet plane and discovered that some of the greatest pilots of the 1950s and 1960s had flown it at Edwards Air Force base in California. And that tail number — 763 — just happens to be the current world record.

Find out why Ed, who has been racing cars, bikes and even horses, his whole life decided to take on the land speed record. Plus, he explains when and how he plans to make his record attempt.

Click here to visit Ed’s website and stay updated on his record-setting efforts and check out pictures of his jet-powered racecar.

Click on the Related Media tab above to listen to our previous interview with Ed.