Well, thank god a real engineer has shown up.
Question: What are your thoughts on the (apparent, to me anyway...) problem of overcoming initial stiction from static when trying to take an accurate reading? Factory manual says pinion rotation torque should be 8 to 20 kg-cm, but I have found that the spring gauge indicates a much higher force to start the pinion moving than it does to keep it moving, if that makes sense? Same when measuring rack preload.
I think it is just stiction (rack and pinion both lubricated before assembly) rather than abnormal wear/mis-assembly.
Edited to add: Once said rack(s) had been installed and tested on the cars (fully assembled, but wheels off the ground) I didn't notice any abnormal free play, heaviness or notchiness.