Ok so I have a 2002 F-350 7.3
i broke the shifter tube (again) but I'm have trouble getting those 2 screws at the bottom of the tube to line up & get back together. I tried putting them together first then put the tube in but it won't seat right if I do it first. It's like the cable piston won't let me twist it enough to seat correctly . Am I doing it wrong? Thanks in advance

 

Where did the tube break ,each time?
The reason I ask is I have replaced several of them on different years and found it was easiest to just remove the entire top of the steering column and lay the assy on a workbench where I could work comfortably and take my time to do a good job that I wouldn't have to repeat. The problem I found was the shift tube corroded and became jammed in the nylon bushings and the tube just couldn't handle the strain.
What I did to prevent a repeat performance was to grind a very slight spiral in the area of where the shaft corroded (on the replacement shaft) and placed some grease in there on assembly and the problem never came back.
I'm not sure if I answered your question or not.