My 99 E-250 Van is making a rattling noise, I have isolated it to the cat shield area but am not sure it could also be other places, there is alot of sheet metal hangin averywhere down there, so far I've wrapped the cat shield with some hose clamps, it lessens it but it is still there at a different RPM. Is there a better way or more heavy duty clamp I can use to draw it up tighter?

 

Maybe your converter is coming apart internally?
Had a Mustang rattle in the converter. Sounded like a handful of marbles in a 5 gallon bucket.
They replaced the converter, problem gone.

My '94 E-150 had some bolts come out of the shield around the converter, but new bolts fixed that.
You said you put clamps on yours, so I guess you can eliminate that.

 

It's a common problem, and it seems to be isolated to Fords. I've never had any trouble with cat shields except on Fords. I was glad on my 89 when they fell off. Now I'm ready for my 2000's to stop.

 

Well I got the cymbals, all I need's the guitars and drums and I can put the show on the road!

 

Ditto on the 94-E-150 - Used grade 8 stainless hardware so I wouldn't have to do it again - that was 100K ago.

I have used the large worm-gear clamps and stainless exhaust clamps too, all with success - depends on what I had handy. Come to think of it all of my Fords ,sans the old T-Birds, had loose shields at one point or another...hmmm....

 

I'm just usin regular hose clamps i got 4 of them on it now(still rattling) but they strip if you really tighten them down. Where do i get heavier ones? THX