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I ummed and ahhed between the Champion Du monde and the Tour de France, in fact the Champion du Monde was my first choice. I think it was the fact that a decent Tour de France turned up first that converted me. That and the fact that a lot of bikes on Classic Lightweights were using it. It will do for now and I can look for a Champion Du Monde in the future.
My other problem is actually with the Simplex shifter. I have a Cyclo/Simplex braze on boss according to Hilary Stone, but unfortunately the screw he supplied with the lever simply will not fit. The threads in my boss seem further apart. I suppose I could try and re-tap it, as you suggest for the cranks, although I prefer to use the right size to fit. I'm unsure if the Simplex screw is French thread or Imperial or something else (bike thread?). I have a screw from a 50s bike pump bracket and that seems to fit so I'm guessing that would be Imperial (Whitworth?). I have tried metric and they don't fit. I wanted to use the pump brackets so don't want to use the screw. In the picture, the screw head sticking out is the pump bracket screw and the shorter one the one that came with the Simplex lever. The pump bracket screw definitely appears to have threads that are more spaced out.
Any ideas?
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RgrahamH
@Big_Block
With the Simplex TDF derailleur, it would be regarded as a later upgrade.
The available Simplex in 1947 would be the Champion Du Monde 46. The second wheel was added in 1947 and it was renamed as Tour De France after Robic's 1947 TDF win (The Dancing Chain 4th edition p157)
The first post-war Aids to Happy Cycling (1949) notifies that the only Simplex listed "Simplex Champion-du-Monde gears. Available from time to time as supplies reach us from the Continent." (p6)
In mid-1947, it appears that the fitting instructions for the were only in French. (Cycling, 23 July 1947 p75)
The French threading on the cranks is easily resolved. I had the same with my Stronglight steel cranks. Get the English pedal thread taps (loaned by my LBS) and get the thread holes drilled out and tapped at a engineering shop.