diff --git a/build_image.sh b/build_image.sh
index 06005372db..a554f50a07 100755
--- a/build_image.sh
+++ b/build_image.sh
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
 # Script must be run inside the chroot
 assert_inside_chroot
 
+KERNEL_VERSION=${KERNEL_VERSION:-"2.6.30-chromeos-intel-menlow"}
+
 DEFAULT_PKGLIST="${SRC_ROOT}/package_repo/package-list-prod.txt"
 
 # Flags
@@ -208,6 +210,7 @@ CUST_OPTS="${SETUP_DIR}/customize_opts.sh"
 cat <<EOF > $CUST_OPTS
 SETUP_DIR="$ROOTFS_SETUP_DIR"
 USE_UBUNTU_KERNEL="$USE_UBUNTU_KERNEL"
+KERNEL_VERSION="$KERNEL_VERSION"
 SERVER="$MIRROR_INSIDE"
 SUITE="$FLAGS_suite"
 SERVER2="$MIRROR2_INSIDE"
diff --git a/build_kernel.sh b/build_kernel.sh
index 54cefd1263..a85e35e577 100755
--- a/build_kernel.sh
+++ b/build_kernel.sh
@@ -18,9 +18,11 @@
 SRC_ROOT=$(dirname $(readlink -f $(dirname "$0")))
 . "${SRC_ROOT}/third_party/shflags/files/src/shflags"
 
+KERNEL_VERSION=${KERNEL_VERSION:-"2.6.30-chromeos-intel-menlow"}
+
 # Flags
 DEFAULT_BUILD_ROOT=${BUILD_ROOT:-"${SRC_ROOT}/build"}
-DEFINE_string config "config.2.6.30-chromeos-intel-menlow"              \
+DEFINE_string config "config.${KERNEL_VERSION}"                        \
   "The kernel configuration file to use. See src/platform/kernel/config/*"
 DEFINE_integer revision 002                                            \
   "The package revision to use"
@@ -99,38 +101,44 @@ mkdir -p "$SRCDIR"
 cd "$SRCDIR"
 
 # Get kernel sources and patches.
+if [ -d ${KERNEL_DIR}/linux-${VER_MME} ]; then
+# TODO(msb): uncomment once git is available in the chroot
+#   git clone "${KERNEL_DIR}"/linux_${VER_MME}
+    cp -a "${KERNEL_DIR}"/linux-${VER_MME} .
+else
+    # old way...
 # TODO: find a better source for the kernel source.  Old versions of karmic
 # aren't hosted on archive.ubuntu.com
 #apt-get source linux-source-$MAJOR.$MINOR.$EXTRA
-# TODO(msb): uncomment once git is available in the chroot
-# git clone "${KERNEL_DIR}"/files linux_${VER_MME}
 # Name directory to what the patches expect
-mkdir linux-${VER_MME}
-cp -a "${KERNEL_DIR}"/files/* linux-${VER_MME}
+    mkdir linux-${VER_MME}
+    cp -a "${KERNEL_DIR}"/files/* linux-${VER_MME}
 
-if [ ! -z $PATCHES ]
-then
-    # TODO: Get rid of sudo if possible. Maybe the non-chromeos kernel patches
-    # will be infrequent enough that we can make them part of the chroot env?
-    sudo apt-get install $PATCHES
+    if [ ! -z $PATCHES ]
+    then
+        # TODO: Get rid of sudo if possible. Maybe the non-chromeos kernel
+	# patches will be infrequent enough that we can make them part of
+	# the chroot env?
+        sudo apt-get install $PATCHES
+    fi
+
+    # Apply chromeos patches
+    CHROMEOS_PATCHES=`ls "$KERNEL_DIR"/patches/*.patch`
+    for i in ${CHROMEOS_PATCHES}
+    do
+      patch -d "linux-$VER_MME" -p1 < "$i"
+    done
+
+    # TODO: Remove a config option which references a non-existent directory in
+    # ubuntu kernel sources.
+    sed -i '/gfs/ d' linux-$VER_MME/ubuntu/Makefile
 fi
 
-# Apply chromeos patches
-CHROMEOS_PATCHES=`ls "$KERNEL_DIR"/patches/*.patch`
-for i in ${CHROMEOS_PATCHES}
-do
-  patch -d "linux-$VER_MME" -p1 < "$i"
-done
-
 # Move kernel config to kernel source tree and rename to .config so that
 # it can be used for "make oldconfig" by make-kpkg.
 cp "$KCONFIG" "linux-${VER_MME}/.config"
 cd "linux-$VER_MME"
 
-# TODO: Remove a config option which references a non-existent directory in
-# ubuntu kernel sources.
-sed -i '/gfs/ d' ubuntu/Makefile
-
 # Remove stale packages. make-kpkg will dump the package in the parent
 # directory. From there, it will be moved to the output directory.
 rm -f "../${PACKAGE}"
diff --git a/customize_rootfs.sh b/customize_rootfs.sh
index df20506e8e..1d7e926558 100755
--- a/customize_rootfs.sh
+++ b/customize_rootfs.sh
@@ -109,12 +109,7 @@ do_initrd = yes
 warn_initrd = no
 EOF
 
-if [ $USE_UBUNTU_KERNEL -eq 1 ]
-then
-  KERNEL_VERSION="2.6.30-9-generic"
-else
-  KERNEL_VERSION="2.6.30-chromeos-intel-menlow"
-fi
+# NB: KERNEL_VERSION comes from customize_opts.sh
 apt-get --yes --force-yes install "linux-image-${KERNEL_VERSION}"
 
 # Create custom initramfs