diff --git a/automake/local.am b/automake/local.am
index 93ecbe32d0..324a803a37 100644
--- a/automake/local.am
+++ b/automake/local.am
@@ -5,14 +5,43 @@
 ## Once automake is fully integrated these make targets 
 ## and this file will probably be removed
 
+## translate VARIANT into VARIANT_V
 VARIANT = OPTIMIZE
 
-VARIANT_OPTIMIZE_V = optimize
-VARIANT_DEBUG_V = debug
-VARIANT_PROFILE_V = profile
+VARIANT_OPTIMIZE_V = OPTIMIZE
+VARIANT_DEBUG_V = DEBUG
+VARIANT_PROFILE_V = PROFILE
+VARIANT_optimize_V = OPTIMIZE
+VARIANT_debug_V = DEBUG
+VARIANT_profile_V = PROFILE
 
-ARCH = o-$(VARIANT_$(VARIANT)_V)
-AM_CFLAGS += $(CFLAGS_$(VARIANT)_V)
+VARIANT_V = $(VARIANT_$(VARIANT)_V)
+
+## Setup the variant build subdirectory
+ARCH_OPTIMIZE_V = o-optimize
+ARCH_DEBUG_V = o-debug
+ARCH_PROFILE_V = o-profile
+
+ARCH__V = $(ARCH_OPTIMIZE_V)
+ARCH = $(ARCH_$(VARIANT_V)_V)
+
+## Setup the library suffix
+LIBSUFFIX_OPTIMIZE_V =
+LIBSUFFIX_DEBUG_V = _g
+LIBSUFFIX_PROFILE_V = _p
+
+LIBSUFFIX__V = $(LIBSUFFIX_OPTIMIZE_V)
+LIB_VARIANT = $(LIBSUFFIX_$(VARIANT_V)_V)
+
+LIBSUFFIX_VA = $(LIB_VARIANT).a
+
+## These are supposed to be set in make/custom/<bsp>.cfg
+## CFLAGS_OPTIMIZE_V = 
+## CFLAGS_DEBUG_V =
+## CFLAGS_PROFILE_V =
+
+CFLAGS__V = $(CFLAGS_OPTIMIZE_V)
+AM_CFLAGS += $(CFLAGS_$(VARIANT_V)_V)
 
 debug:
 	@echo
diff --git a/c/src/make/leaf.cfg b/c/src/make/leaf.cfg
index 9fb166b960..8ec8fa3109 100644
--- a/c/src/make/leaf.cfg
+++ b/c/src/make/leaf.cfg
@@ -41,16 +41,3 @@ include ${CONFIG.CC}
 ifeq (${DEPEND},$(wildcard ${DEPEND}))
 include ${DEPEND}		     # pull in dependencies if they exist
 endif
-
-#
-# LIBSUFFIX_VA, will "index" into LIBSUFF-*-v macros and
-#   convert our ${ARCH} back into .a or _g.a or _p.a based on debug or profile.
-#   Useful for installing libraries.
-#
-
-LIBSUFFIX_o-optimize_V=
-LIBSUFFIX_o-debug_V=_g
-LIBSUFFIX_o-profile_V=_p
-
-LIB_VARIANT=$(LIBSUFFIX_$(ARCH)_V)
-LIBSUFFIX_VA = $(LIB_VARIANT).a