1985 LJN ThunderCats Thundertank broken tread pre-repair preparation and repair

[Roar]

Vector Sigma, this a long post, but the repair works extremely well. There are so many steps because the repair has to be done in stages so it will be permanent.

On the whole, the Thundertank manufactured by LJN for its' 1985 ThunderCats toy line is a relatively hardy vehicle and capable of withstanding the rigors of play that even some of our own beloved Transformers toys cannot sustain. (Especially the first wave of G-1)

But, just as in all things, there are flaws in engineering, and the most unfortunate and glaring defect in the LJN Thundertank is the fragility of its two rubber treads.

It's taken some trial and error finding the proper method and materials for repairing the LJN Thundertank's treads, but this the end all permanent fix for your original broken and cracked rubber tank tread problems.

When finished with this repair, your rubber treads will be flexible, supple, will not separate, or interfere with the fitment/re-installation and the action features of your toy. (the "pop up" action) In addition, the adhesive cures clear, so the repair will also be mostly undetectable, therefore display nicely, certainly from a distance because the repair is done on mostly the inside of the treads and the exterior repair is well-hidden.

You will not be able to roll the Thundertank on the floor for play, but when the toy came out brand new out of the box, you couldn't roll the Thundertank on the floor then either, especially on mom and dad's superfly 1970's harvest gold shag carpet. Rolling the tank treads on multi-surfaces and the resistance they offered is one of the most prevalent ways that the treads broke on the toys in the first place.

I tried this repair on a set of Thundertank treads, it's been nearly one year, and there have been no signs of warping, melting, or the separation from any of the points of the repairs.

Before you begin, you will need to purchase some supplies, but some of it you will most likely have on hand in the home which will save money.

Dish washing soap: Dawn, or a brand comparable, along with warm water to dilute it with

A small bowl or receptacle to hold warm soap and water mixture

A few cotton swabs

Paper towels: preferably as low lint as you can find

Re-sealable plastic bags, the size of them depending on how many treads you are repairing-one or two, and how many pieces they are in

Thin toothpicks for spreading glue

A small Phillips head screwdriver to remove the two black rollers off of your Thundertank toy.

Here is a link to a You Tube video illustrating the procedure for removing the wheels from the Thundertank toy so the treads can be re-installed. The video will also serve as a visual reference to the tracks so you will see the recesses and treading of the tracks referenced in the repair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6eLtw35h44&t=413s

A disposable plate: such as a paper one (non-reactive) for holding small amounts of glue while you work on the initial bonding process. You can squeeze glue out of the tube, and that will be preferable with the final gluing process, but it is nearly impossible to squeeze small amounts of glue from the tube with the applicator tip built into the adhesive container for the small surface work you'll be doing mating your treads together in the initial gluing process.

Armor All: regular or ultimate. I used Ultimate because that is what I had on hand.

Gorilla Glue Clear Grip: one 3 Oz. tube will be more than enough to do the repair on two tank treads. There will also be plenty of glue left over in case you are not satisfied with the first part of the repair procedure: your initial pairing of broken parts and need to start over.

A smooth, cleansed surface in which to rest your curing Thundertank tread/s- preferably a non-porous glass surface such as a mirror. Don't worry about the adhesive sticking permanently to glass, it will rub/pull off of any smooth surface it comes in contact with.

A well-ventilated work area and a safe place to store your Thundertank tracks while they cure: The fumes from the Gorilla Glue clear in the amounts you will be using aren't terribly strong, but you don't want to breathe it in for prolonged periods of time, and frankly, you don't want children, pets, or childlike spouses disturbing your tracks while they cure.

The Armor All and Gorilla Glue will be the most expensive expenditures in the repair if you buy them together, sixteen dollars including sales tax at the most (US), but the results are well worth the cost when finished.

If you have broken tank treads, hopefully your track/s will be in one piece with the tread being one long strand of rubber. If not, no worries, the repair will work just as well as it would if had only one break, however it will take longer to repair due to curing times etc.

If your treads are in multiple pieces, match the broken ends together before the repair procedure to ascertain what broken section halves match with which tread. You will not have a good repair if you can't mate the same broken tread areas together.

Once you have everything together, matched, and separate to avoid part mixing, take your broken tread/s and make an extremely weak/mild cleansing solution with your dish soap and warm water.

The soap amount should be sufficient to make light bubbles, and be basically clear/very little color.

After soaking the treads in the soapy solution to help loosen any dirt, dust, or other soil on the rubber for a few minutes, lightly massage them with your fingers making sure to clean the interior and exterior of the tank tread, paying special attention to the inner surface and the outer lips that hold the treads on the wheels as these are going to be your primary repair surfaces. You will want to lightly rub the small indentations of the outer tank tread with a cotton swab.

When you're satisfied that the treads are clean, "squeaky" feeling is a good indicator, rinse your tracks with warm water, pat them dry with a paper towel, and allow them to air dry until you are sure they are completely void of traces of water.

When dry, spray a generous amount of Armor All on your tracks and massage every part of the tracks until every inch is covered. For this step, there is no such thing as "too much". After 40 years of exposure to heat, cold, and natural decay, the rubber will need nourishment.

After making sure every part of the track/s have been covered with the Armor All, place the track you are repairing into a re-sealable bag and hose the part down, don't be stingy with the amount you use, the more the better- because the quality of the repair of the treads and the durability of it for the foreseeable future will partly depend on how revitalized the rubber is.

Store your tread/s in the sealable bag/s overnight to allow the Armor All to penetrate the rubber part.

After soaking overnight, repeat the washing procedure with a mild soap solution, making sure that all of the Armor All is completely cleaned away from all nooks and crannies, especially the inside areas of the tracks.

Pat them dry with a lint free towel and air dry at room temperature.

Inspection before the first re-attachment gluing:

Often with these treads, there isn't just an outright severing break; cracks also develop along with the complete breaks in the recession areas of the tracks because those are the weakest areas of the treads. They will be easy to locate and take preventative measures with, as cracks are much easier to repair than breaks.

All you need to do to repair minor/hairline cracks in your rubber tracks is to take a toothpick or slender probing object, place a small amount of glue on the tip of it, and lightly fill the crack. After there is enough to cover the entirety of the crack, pull the section of track together in order to squeeze the crack together. The bond is nearly instant, but you should hold the crack together so that it appears seamless for one minute. You do not have to apply heavy pressure to the affected area, just enough to secure the bond. Once the initial bond is created, set the track in its side and place a weight, such as a small book, to hold the crack in place.

Allow the glue to cure for one hour.

After the glue sets up, fill the entire tank track tread indentation recess (The recessed outside tread area) with a bead of glue straight from the tube of Gorilla Glue Clear. The applicator is the perfect size for fitting in the tread recess. When done, spread the glue so it will be flush with the higher edges of the tracks and wait for another hour for that to cure.

Take a small amount of glue, meet your matched broken tracks, put a light coating on each severed end of track, and then meet them together. The bond, again, should be instant, but you will need to hold the ends together for one to two minutes with minimal movement to ensure a firm bond.

Once the track ends are all mated, place your track/s on their sides on a smooth, non-stick surface and place it/them in a place where they can cure for one hour.

Check to make sure you are satisfied with the positioning of your track repair, and that the breaks are flush and not sticking proudly from the mated ends.

The glue of your initial repair will still be "open", but sturdy enough to hold the treads together while you reinforce the repair.

Take a moderate amount of your adhesive and spread it over the areas where you have re-attached the Thundertank treads on the inside, gently smoothing the glue past the areas that have been repaired taking care to not stretch or stress the tread repairs. The thickness of the glue should not rise above the side tread "lip".

The preliminary shoring up of the tread break repair will be the base in which the second coating of adhesive will bond to your repair and reinforce it.

Allow the tread to cure overnight.

This second and last procedure of the tread repair is non reversible, once the adhesive is applied after this step, there is no way to undo the process. If you try to take the adhesive off the rubber track, you will most certainly destroy it.

As noted before, Thundertank tracks have a "lip" on them that is molded on the outside of the tread. This is what enables the tread to stay on the wheels when the rollers are replaced on the toy. After your treads are cured, squeeze out a good portion of your glue on the interior surface of the tread and spread a thick, even layer over every inch of the interior of the Thundertank track with your finger, including the areas that were whole and unbroken while taking care to not allow the glue to rise higher than the "lip" of the Thundertank tread.

Basically, what you are making is a huge rubber band on the inside of your tread/s.

When you have the interior of the tread coated and are satisfied that the amount is as smooth as possible, set it aside to cure overnight.

When cured, you will have a durable, permanent repair that will well withstand the stretching that the wheel assembly of the Thundertank toy will subject it to.

Re-installation:

You cannot force Thundertank treads onto the wheels of the toy, you must remove the two small black rollers from the Thundertank. I would advise keeping the same screws and pieces from the wheel parts together and make note of which roller came from what section of the wheel, top or bottom.

The tread will easily place over the large gray section of roller on the tank, push it until it meets the inside of the rollers.

Re-install the rollers over the tank tread "lip" screw them back in making sure to not over tighten them. Any further and you will strip out the plastic and have to find a replacement.

When finished, rub a small amount of Armor All on the exterior of your treads to dress them and as a preservative measure.

Good luck on your repair.