I need W210 97 E420 Heat Shield Repair Advice
 

I have a lot of rattling from the rear-most heat shield (just before the tailpipe) on my 1997 E420. This shield is between the muffler (or resonator, whatever) and the trunk floor. It is screwed on to 4 or more studs that stick down from the floor. The shield has rotted around two of these studs, so it hangs down and contacts the exhaust.

I don't think I can replace the shield without removing the exhaust, so I just want to find a way to screw it back up. I'm going to try removing the original nuts from the studs, and replace them with some nuts and big washers which may be enough to hold it on. But I really don't expect the studs to survive the nut removal process.

If I can't reuse the studs, I'm thinking of just drilling some holes through the floor of the trunk and the shield, and putting some bolts though to some nuts and washers underneath. Does that sound viable? Are there other ways to do this?

Heat Shield Repair Update
 

I decided to duct tape the heat shield as close as possible to its original position, and slather JB Weld all over the studs and what was left of the shield. After it cured, I removed the tape.

As of last week when I traded the car, the repair had held up perfectly. Which surprised me a lot.