Time for FE rebuild

[SFSDFGT]

Well, with only 2900 miles or so on my cobra, but largely unknown history of my car before I bought it 1.5 years/ 400 miles ago, I am committed to the idea of having the 427 SO pulled this winter and rebuilt. It just doesn't run as strong as it should, and I am nervous about some near-catastrophes that have happened in the short time since I have owned it, such as one rocker shaft breaking, and rocker studs vibrating loose repeatedly (these two problems connected, of course). Also, despite being told that my engine is a 472" stroker that requires race gas, it just doesn't perform as strong as it should. It only made about 350 rwhp on the dyno. Furthermore, last summer I think it overheated too much when the fan quit working, and now I am worried that something is warped (heads, exhaust valves?) because I am now hearing WAY too much popping from the exhaust. I used to only hear the loveliest popping on deceleration, and now it sounds like some soft misfiring, every time I let off the gas.

The engine is the original (as far as I know) all-aluminum Shelby 427, but one receipt that came with the car said "472 stroker, 110 race fuel only". I would think such an engine would make 500-600 hp, and well over 400 at the wheels, so something is wrong here.

The good news- I really don't mind spending the money on a rebuild. I found a great shop locally that seems really good with FEs, and they really did some trick stuff with the 352 from my 1965 F100 that is almost done being restored.

My questions to the crowd- I have always loved the look of the twin-carb 427s, and have been debating switching from my single 4-barrel in the turkey pan. Not that my car is an original (just a CSX 4000 series), but would it still be foolish to change it from the way it was originally built? I guess value-wise, it doesn't really matter anyway, since I doubt I will ever sell it. But where can one purchase the correct intake and carb setup for the 427 SO with the 4 x 2? I like the look of the individual air cleaners too, rather than the long oval ones that go around both carbs.

Also (and I know that we will know more when the engine shop tears my engine down), but if I need a new rotating assembly, I am thinking I should just have it rebuilt to run on pump gas. Keeping all of these fuel cans and a barrel of Sunoco 110 in the garage makes me nervous, not to mention the expense of it. Sure smells great, though! I would think one could really still make the power I desire on pump gas, right? Is a durable, reliable 600 (crank) hp realistic on pump gas? With the 4x2 carb setup?

Thank you in advance for your thoughts on this.