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I replaced the seals in my steering box a while ago and when I re-assembled it I needed to make up a thinner shim to get the specified torgue out of the shaft that goes to the steering wheel (the worm shaft). The shims go under the square cover on the front of the box. It is easy to miss these shims when you pull it to bits because they are usually assembled with a bit of sealant to make sure they don't leak oil.
It is definitely a "steering box out of the car" thing to do. The hardest part for me was disconnecting the pitman arm from the bottom of the box. I had to buy a decent puller and unbolt the steering box from the chassis so that I could get the puller onto it. My box was a bit loose in the centre before the rebuild. I didn't try the adjustment before I took it to pieces (because it needed new seals anyhow), but it stands to reason that having the correct tension on the steering column bearings would have helped the free play situation. My manual specifys that the steering column shims should be adjusted so that the torque on the shaft is 1 - 2 lb.f.in. This equates to a pull of between 2.2 and 5.5 lb if you wrap a string around the shaft and pull it with a spring balance. This is done without the pitman arm shaft in the housing and is merely checking that the shims give the right tension on the worm shaft bearings. I'd suggest checking everything else for wear if you go as far as taking the steering box out.
The main canditates for making things too sloppy in the steering box are the pitman arm shaft bushes (these can be driven out and replaced but should be reamed afterwards). There is also a small bush in the top cover that can't easily be replaced - recommendation in my manual is to replace the cover. It is usual to see some pitting on the worm shaft bearings as well. This can be dealt to by profile grinding of the shaft which needs specialist equipment. Mine was pretty minor so I just left it.
Let us know how you get on. If you want extra piece of mind, try and hunt out a spare box first. I had a spare RHD box which I pulled to bits first. It was totally stuffed inside. The LHD box on my runner is the only one I had so I couldn't afford to get it wrong. Amazon spares are pretty rare in New Zealand - especially LHD ones.
Clutching at straws here, but have you checked the steering column coupling for play?
The other thing to try before lifting the box out of the car is to just lift the lid off (screwing the adjusting screw through the lid in the process) and check for slack where the adjusting screw is held into the shaft. There is a washer under the adjusting screw that could be swapped for a thicker one. The screw is held captive with a circlip. The adjusting screw pushes the shaft down to tighten the steering, so any slack under this screw will reduce the adjustment available.
Hope this helps.
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