WHAT THE F%@&!!!!

I have no clue how they got this beast in but this is ridiculously tight. It took me almost an hour just to unbolt the dipstick tube. I have no clue where to start or how to properly drop the exhaust. This no where near as simple as my 300E.
Rant Off......
Anyway, I got the car up on jack stands as high as I can go. The undercarriage is in pretty good condition but the bolts that hold the exhaust sections together are completely rusted. Do I just cut these? Should I drop the whole exhaust or just part of it?
How the heck to I get to the top bolts on the bell housing?


Any tips or tricks here would be great. I also need to change the engine mounts. I got an engine hoist if that helps.
I do have a manual but it doesn't seem to cover much on removing the trans. If anyone could maybe send me the pages I need, that would be awesome!

Any tips or tricks would be great as well. I've done this before on a 300E but this seems almost impossible on a 500E.
Thanks!
Adam
__________________
Current Stable:
01 ML55 AMG
92 500E (a few mods)
87 300E (lots of mods)
00 Chevy 3500HD Diesel Box Truck
68 18' Donzi Marine

06 GT i-Drive7 1.0 Mountain Bike (with GPS!

)
PREVIOUSLY OWNED:83 300SD, 87 420SEL, 88 420SEL, 90 420SEL, 86 560SEL, 86 190E 2.3-16V AMG, 94 E320