Distance should not be an issue when spending lots of money, just look at stu as an example out there in his beach hut on the Atlantic coast or the likes of rainbird and co in the proper banjo country wilderness

Not sure if he comes on here anymore but there used to be a chap called Christian who had a lightly fettled escort which was done by a jap tuner so it's not all about who does what

Back in the day I would have said power engineering but I'm not sure if they do engine building and stuff nowadays or are just doing the rolling road side of things

Cast your net far and wide and make sure you double check everything before you make your decision, 300 brake is a BIG ask from the cvh and you may find that going the zetec route may work out easier, cheaper, most cost effective in the long run as well as being more reliable