The correct method of adjusting sector gear preload is to use an inch-lb. torque wrench on the steering wheel center nut and measure the increase in turning torque WITH THE PITMAN ARM DISCONNECTED as the wheel crosses over the center point. I've outlined the procedure many times in the 20-something years I've been on this site, and to the best of my knowledge, nobody has ever done it that way. Good luck!
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!