steering shaft/stalk problem?

Hey guys,

I am not sure how to phrase this, but while I was working on my '71 240Z today, I pulled the steering wheel and half of the shaft off the car! All of the pgtail and wiring came unplugged and I was holding the rest in my hands! I was able to see four (screw?) holes at the end of the shaft, but could not find mating holes on the outer sleeve that it slides into.

I just bought this car two weeks ago. Could it be the Po was doing some work and forgot to re-tighten the steering nut? Could something be broken, or is this the way it is supposed to be?

when the shaft was off the stalk and in my hands, the top (splined part) of the steering shaft was sticking out of the collapsible tube thing. All I did was slide it back on with the wheel lined up. Is this how it is supposed to be, or is it supposed to be retained by the nut in the center or what?

Please excuse my terminology!!! Hopefully you all understand what I am saying and can give some advice. Please let me know if I made no sense, and I will try to explain again adn/or take some pics, but I would like to get this resolved as I do not want the steering wheel coming off while I am driving!!

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide!!

Regards,

Astrohog