diff --git a/packages/linux/package.mk b/packages/linux/package.mk
index 779b99ed62..742d957a28 100644
--- a/packages/linux/package.mk
+++ b/packages/linux/package.mk
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ if [ "$PKG_BUILD_PERF" != "no" ] && grep -q ^CONFIG_PERF_EVENTS= $PKG_KERNEL_CFG
   PKG_DEPENDS_TARGET="$PKG_DEPENDS_TARGET binutils elfutils libunwind zlib openssl"
 fi
 
-PKG_MAKE_OPTS_HOST="ARCH=${HEADERS_ARCH:-$TARGET_KERNEL_ARCH} headers_check"
+PKG_MAKE_OPTS_HOST="CROSS_COMPILE= ARCH=${HEADERS_ARCH:-$TARGET_KERNEL_ARCH} headers_check"
 
 if [ "$TARGET_ARCH" = "x86_64" ]; then
   PKG_DEPENDS_TARGET="$PKG_DEPENDS_TARGET intel-ucode:host kernel-firmware"
@@ -97,12 +97,6 @@ if [ "$BUILD_ANDROID_BOOTIMG" = "yes" ]; then
 fi
 
 post_patch() {
-  sed -i -e "s|^HOSTCC[[:space:]]*=.*$|HOSTCC = $TOOLCHAIN/bin/host-gcc|" \
-         -e "s|^HOSTCXX[[:space:]]*=.*$|HOSTCXX = $TOOLCHAIN/bin/host-g++|" \
-         -e "s|^ARCH[[:space:]]*?=.*$|ARCH = $TARGET_KERNEL_ARCH|" \
-         -e "s|^CROSS_COMPILE[[:space:]]*?=.*$|CROSS_COMPILE = $TARGET_KERNEL_PREFIX|" \
-         $PKG_BUILD/Makefile
-
   cp $PKG_KERNEL_CFG_FILE $PKG_BUILD/.config
   if [ ! "$BUILD_ANDROID_BOOTIMG" = "yes" ]; then
     sed -i -e "s|^CONFIG_INITRAMFS_SOURCE=.*$|CONFIG_INITRAMFS_SOURCE=\"$BUILD/image/initramfs.cpio\"|" $PKG_BUILD/.config
@@ -148,7 +142,9 @@ post_patch() {
 }
 
 makeinstall_host() {
-  make ARCH=${HEADERS_ARCH:-$TARGET_KERNEL_ARCH} INSTALL_HDR_PATH=dest headers_install
+  make CROSS_COMPILE= ARCH=${HEADERS_ARCH:-$TARGET_KERNEL_ARCH} INSTALL_HDR_PATH=dest \
+    HOSTCFLAGS="$HOST_CFLAGS" HOSTLDFLAGS="$HOST_LDFLAGS" \
+    headers_install
   mkdir -p $SYSROOT_PREFIX/usr/include
     cp -R dest/include/* $SYSROOT_PREFIX/usr/include
 }
@@ -165,7 +161,7 @@ pre_make_target() {
     sed -i "s|CONFIG_EXTRA_FIRMWARE=.*|CONFIG_EXTRA_FIRMWARE=\"${FW_LIST}\"|" $PKG_BUILD/.config
   fi
 
-  make oldconfig
+  kernel_make oldconfig
 
   # regdb (backward compatability with pre-4.15 kernels)
   if grep -q ^CONFIG_CFG80211_INTERNAL_REGDB= $PKG_BUILD/.config ; then
@@ -174,8 +170,8 @@ pre_make_target() {
 }
 
 make_target() {
-  LDFLAGS="" make modules
-  LDFLAGS="" make INSTALL_MOD_PATH=$INSTALL/$(get_kernel_overlay_dir) DEPMOD="$TOOLCHAIN/bin/depmod" modules_install
+  kernel_make modules
+  kernel_make INSTALL_MOD_PATH=$INSTALL/$(get_kernel_overlay_dir) modules_install
   rm -f $INSTALL/$(get_kernel_overlay_dir)/lib/modules/*/build
   rm -f $INSTALL/$(get_kernel_overlay_dir)/lib/modules/*/source
 
@@ -221,11 +217,11 @@ make_target() {
 
   if [ "$BOOTLOADER" = "u-boot" -a -n "$KERNEL_UBOOT_EXTRA_TARGET" ]; then
     for extra_target in "$KERNEL_UBOOT_EXTRA_TARGET"; do
-      LDFLAGS="" make $extra_target
+      kernel_make $extra_target
     done
   fi
 
-  LDFLAGS="" make $KERNEL_TARGET $KERNEL_MAKE_EXTRACMD
+  kernel_make $KERNEL_TARGET $KERNEL_MAKE_EXTRACMD
 
   if [ "$BUILD_ANDROID_BOOTIMG" = "yes" ]; then
     DTB_BLOBS=($(ls arch/$TARGET_KERNEL_ARCH/boot/dts/amlogic/*.dtb 2>/dev/null || true))