Question about changing the steering box
 

Im in the process of changing my steering box because the old one got to where it just wasnt safe to drive, about 45 degrees of play. It was bad, the lower u joint where it attached to the box was sloppy, the splines on the box were worn slap out. I know youre supposed to buy the hd borgeson boxes when you have bigger tires, but i had a guy sell me a used one off of a low mileage 4x4 1500. I think it was a '97, he has a dodge junkyard, and he cross referenced the parts and said the part number for the 1500s and the HD trucks were the same number. Anyways, i got the old one off and i got the new one sitting up close to where it should be. But for the life of me i cant seem to get the splines on the steering shaft and the splines on the input shaft of the box to line up. I tried for an hour. I know the part number is the same but is there a different number of splines betweeen a 1500 steering box and an HD box? Or am i just not doing something right?

Any advise would be helpful. Thanks! God bless!

there is a groove the one i put on my 95 was right out of a 95 2500 gasser and it worked you just have to line the groove up i was confused at first lol kind of embarrassing to admit but i put it on (only one way it goes on) and the wheel was pointed one way and the tires another lol stupid me i finally grasped that the box is geared down so the ratio of wheel turns is more than how much the tires actually move lol it should deff work though