I was head mechanic at Toga Bike Shop in NYC in 1982 - 1983. One of my cow-orkers got a job lot of those Mavic Sport rims. They were cheap, but they held up really well. We did use washers with them, so it does take a little extra time to build them.

I recommend strongly against the Normandy hubs. I worked on huge numbers of bikes with those hubs in 1978 through 1983, and they really are one of your worst choices. The Simichrome trick may make them smoother, but their roughness is not their downfall. The steel they used was soft, so races and cones would damage easily. The axles of the rear hubs bent and broke easily. I have spare front hubs of various brands and probably can dig up a Shimano or something for you. The cheap Shimano hubs of the same vintage are much better, as are the Sanshin (aka Sunshine) hubs.

Tubulars? I should try to talk you out of them, too, but I won't. When I rode them, I was too cheap, and I suspect cheap tubulars aren't a great value. I haven't tried Tufo, so maybe they're just the ticket. I see Panaracer is still in the business, and those tires did serve me well, and they are not expensive. At the time, I believe they were the only tubulars with nylon casings, but I believe other brands now use nylon. Just don't go too light. That was my mistake. Tubular rims and tires are much lighter than most clinchers, so you'll enjoy light wheels even if you use heavy tubulars, and their extra heft will help on gravel.