Chris, I did not mean to put a damper on your posting. You are to funny. Yeah, I guess as a kid I modified a few bikes with a brick or hammer. Never an expensive bike but still guilty as charged. I guess what puzzles me is why someone goes through the trouble of hacking off a D hanger to fit another derailleur. As you know they could have tapped out the Simplex hanger and fit almost any other brand. I have not tried it but I'll bet you could even have installed this derailleur by leaving the hanger alone and installing it on the axle as was done. I just looked at that bike in my favorite color, with fenders and overall nice appearance. I then imagined the rear dropout clamped in a vise while someone performed a Texas hacksaw massacre on it. This is not the first I have seen like this and I am sure it will not be the last.
Cheers
Ray in rainy NJ