[Mister Pontiac]

One last idea I haven't seen mentioned yet is simply wrapping safety wire around the pickup tube, and tying it off tight to the body of the pump. In my old aircraft mechanic days, we used safety wire on everything. I saw the opportunity with the Pontiac oil pump pickup years ago, and have done it a few times since with no issues.

Wrap the wire tight around the outlet tube right next to where it presses into the pump body, pull it taught around the body of the pump a couple turns, and then twist the safety wire tight. Even though the wire may have a little 'give' over time, it won't give enough to allow the pickup to come out of the pump. Haven't seen this method fail yet, and requires minimal effort and zero cost for the piece of mind. Probably the simplest 'fix' I've seen too.

In lieu of welding or drilling/tapping/screw install, just another idea that has been successful for me.

Hope that helps.