Question about Steering Column

Can you get it high enough to engage a couple of threads? Make sure there is nothing (like wires or wiring loom) between the column and the mounting yoke, or hanging down under the dash and pushing on the column itself. Could be as simple as the shift linkage fighting you. The plastic spacers need to be fully seated in their slots in the mounting bracket.

My guess is the column has shifted slightly in the floor plate when you lowered it down and just needs more pressure to push it back up into position. Depending on how much you lowered it, you might need to loosen the bolts holding the floor plate to the floor and clamping the plate to the column, tightening and realigning after the yoke bolts are seated. When those floor plate mounting bolts are loose, I reach into the engine compartment and grab the end of the column to jiggle it up and down a little. It may not do anything, but I've always felt it helps seat things and insure nothing is binding.

110 inch pounds is the spec on the yoke bolts. Verify the washer in the left slot is contacting the ground clip before you torque the bolts down.

Using the steering wheel to assist you holding the column in position is fine, yanking in and out on it is not. Doing that could cause you to break the plastic pin holding the upper and lower shafts together or knock the lower bearing out of place. That is probably not something you want to do.