An apparatus for restoring a necked-down end of a plastic core includes molding and curing stations and a core handling system having a carriage for sequentially positioning the core adjacent the stations. The molding and curing stations are heated and cooled, respectively, by heating elements and a chilled coolant. A core handling system includes a core-supporting carriage slidably supported on first rails for engagement between the core and the stations. The first rails are slidably supported on perpendicularly oriented second rails to provide for sequential alignment of the carriage with the molding and curing stations. A control system includes motor drives controlled by a programmable logic controller having a processor. Sensors communicate signals to the processor representing the position of the carriage with respect to the upper rails and the position of the upper rails with respect to the lower rails for actuation and control of the motor drives.