I get a bit peeved by all the collector nerds who say "it's a rare 1967 Mini 850 that you ruined by making it a donor shell for a Cooper S". Better it's used than have some collector put it in a plastic bag and pleasure themselves by looking at it like Gollum. :shock:
These are mass-produced industrial products, chaps, not one-off works of art. Better they are used, modded and enjoyed than worthless and landfill.
While I (personally) would not chop off braze-ons, I am not going to lose any sleep over it. Shock horror: I have a 2007 XT rear mech on my 1994 Pine Mountain...