Apparatus for altering the shape of a first stage raw tire carcass from a substantially cylindrical form to a substantially toroidal form, preparatory to vulcanization. The apparatus includes a pair of coaxially spaced, disc-like, rigid-shouldered, support members upon which are mountable the bead regions of the carcass in fluid-sealing relation, and an assembly for displacing the support members coaxially toward one another to permit inflation of the fluid-sealed carcass into the form of a torus.