I know it's a long shot, but if I can be of any help, I'd be glad to pitch in. I'm in Houston.

My wife nailed a HUGE trailer hitch in our '89 300E, and it was more than I wanted to tackle. It doesn't sound as bad as yours even, but I still didn't want to mess with it. The parts were only half the bill. Labor sucked up the other half of $2400.

Let me know, and I'll help where I can if we're close enough.

Wendell