The major difference between the two trucks would be the mechanicals. Toyota would use it's own engine and gearbox on it's GB, while Nissan would continue to use it's type A 3670cc 85hp side valve 6 cylinder engine, which was the old Graham Paige engine used in the Nissan 80 truck. Whilst the steering and suspension on the old Nissan 80 may have been unreliable, the engine was fine, and would serve the 180 well. Rather confusingly, Toyota's engine was also called the type A, though it was smaller, at 3389cc and only produced 62hp.
The Nissan 180 was in production from 1941 until January 1952, and it changed considerably during it's long production run. The first ones to roll off the production line were a rather nicely finished truck. Most of the design was pretty much the same as the Chevrolet truck, but the Nissan 180 had a grille that was a semi-cylindrical shaped pressed steel panel with thirteen horizontal slots, where the Chevrolet had a much more ornate chrome plated grille. As the war drew on steel was becoming increasingly harder to find, and as a result they started to leave off any panels deemed unnecessary, including engine covers, bonnets, side steps, and even guards. Eventually the supply of steel became critical and Nissan began to build the majority of the cabin and body section from timber.
After the end of hostilities Nissan restarted production again building the original version of the Nissan 180. By the end of the 1940s most materials were available in Japan again, and for the final few years the 180 sported a bold chrome plated grille with a Nissan badge cast into the top bar.
At the time the 180 went into production a bus version was also built, designated the Nissan 190. The 190 bus was built up until 1949 when it was replaced by the Nissan 290 bus. No Nissan 280 model truck was built, the 180 was followed by the 380 in January 1952.
