Phill,
My thoughts: Always wanted to do one since Boone had a CJ5 with a 302 Ford in it back in the early 80's..lotsa fun!!
There is Video right now of a scout gasser on Bangshift.com, evil handling little monster even at low 11's!!

As someone who has done 2 DragWeeks, 6 Marathons, 4 UltraMarathons, and 3 24 hour footraces... I think I'm uniquely qualified to say "DragWeek is like a marathon"!!

So, if I were doing it, and understanding the extremes in weather that are likely, I'd want a full windshield, and a soft-top at the very least. I'd build it with an eye for fun more than speed, seriously, who would want to go faster than say 120 something in a nose high, straight axle, short wheelbase vehicle??

My Dad's truck used to be a handfull at 12.03-110. The steering box had an eighth turn play, and you sorta "Herded" it on the big end. It was a blast, but my Dad would say, "I don't know how you guys run 10's". Then we let him drive our cars and he was shocked at how easy it was. We confessed, "Dad, that truck we put together for you is the scariest drive we own..., but it sure is fun!!"