Sorry to hear that Johnny but know what you mean....if it were not for a friend and what little money I could dig up ours would have been the same here but you have one of the best gifts anyone could ask for...great friends.
I have done that too....you could built it once and can again just with not much time too. I drop things all the time my hands make working a challenge at times.
I have built all three of them as a kid and thought they were great kits myself. The Diamond REO and the White Road Boss are great kits to build....I am waiting for the Kenworth cabover to show up around here....built one as a kid and loved it too. The choice is yours to make....I like them all and think there all good kits to build with good detail.
I love to restore old promos of the 60s and 70s body styles....I like the challenge of it. Currently been working on a 58 Ford Fairlane HT from my dads collection but need to find another screw type chassis for it to finish it off was lucky and did not have to repaint the body . Nice work on the Cutlass promos.
Id build it for him... I have my dads old collection and wouldn't part with them for anything even though they need parts so I can restore them. someday Ill get them all restored to their proper condition.
Ill bet it will look better when you have some window outlines in it...if it gets to you put it aside and take a break from it. Works for me all the time and I usually start with build-ups or junk....no real hobby shops around here.