i can't seem to get the distributor in right, i have knoe idea how the shaft goes. please help

I assume you have an MGB? Although in this case the year isn't important you should provide that information. Do you have any kind of repair manual?

The distributor shaft dog is slightly offset from the center of the shaft. The drive spindle in the engine is also has an offset slot. The installation is done by aligning the drive dog to the slot. If that isn't your question, please try re-describing your problem.

Clifton