Your question kind of makes no sense.
What part exactly are you referring to, the column collars? The lower column cover is usually just a trim piece that fastens to the underside of the dash with four screws to cover up the hole.
Regardless, if the shaft is too short, something is not seated all the way. The shaft should be held in place by a snap ring in a groove that keeps the upper bearing in place. A fixed length of the shaft will protrude beyond the snap ring groove.
You also could have collapsed the shaft but still, it should only go in one way at the top. If it was collapsed then you would be able to pull it out from the bottom.
