47-55.1 Steering box slop

[TX3100Guy]

Recently, I rebuilt the OEM steering box on my 1953 3100. After the rebuild, I cut the steering column to fit an Ididit column and have completed the reinstall of the steering box and the Ididit column. Today, I finished the project (or so I thought) by mounting the steering wheel that came with the truck (see photo below). However, I noticed that I have nearly 1/4 of a turn of the wheel in slop. That is before the column attempts to move the wheels in either direction. This seems like a lot of play to me and was wondering 1) what is causing this problem, 2) how to remedy it, and/or 3)what steering box alternatives should I consider?



EDIT #1: Has anyone used an off the shelf manual (not power steering) box to replace the stock one? I see several universal fit manual steering boxes on Speedway and I'm wondering if anyone has had any luck with one of these.

EDIT #2: If anyone has the OEM steering box that they taken off their truck in favor of a power steering unit and they are open to getting rid/selling it, send me a PM and/or a photo of the unit.