diff --git a/basis/alien/arrays/arrays.factor b/basis/alien/arrays/arrays.factor
index c823b614d9..8253d9458c 100644
--- a/basis/alien/arrays/arrays.factor
+++ b/basis/alien/arrays/arrays.factor
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ M: array stack-size drop "void*" stack-size ;
 
 M: array c-type-boxer-quot drop f ;
 
-M: array c-type-unboxer-quot drop f ;
+M: array c-type-unboxer-quot drop [ >c-ptr ] ;
 
 M: value-type c-type-reg-class drop int-regs ;
 
diff --git a/basis/alien/c-types/c-types.factor b/basis/alien/c-types/c-types.factor
index d1354cb04e..ff9d4cefc4 100644
--- a/basis/alien/c-types/c-types.factor
+++ b/basis/alien/c-types/c-types.factor
@@ -201,13 +201,13 @@ M: byte-array byte-length length ;
     1 swap malloc-array ; inline
 
 : malloc-byte-array ( byte-array -- alien )
-    dup length [ nip malloc dup ] 2keep memcpy ;
+    dup byte-length [ nip malloc dup ] 2keep memcpy ;
 
 : memory>byte-array ( alien len -- byte-array )
     [ nip (byte-array) dup ] 2keep memcpy ;
 
 : byte-array>memory ( byte-array base -- )
-    swap dup length memcpy ;
+    swap dup byte-length memcpy ;
 
 : array-accessor ( type quot -- def )
     [
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ M: long-long-type box-return ( type -- )
     ] when ;
 
 : malloc-file-contents ( path -- alien len )
-    binary file-contents dup malloc-byte-array swap length ;
+    binary file-contents [ malloc-byte-array ] [ length ] bi ;
 
 : if-void ( type true false -- )
     pick "void" = [ drop nip call ] [ nip call ] if ; inline
@@ -283,9 +283,10 @@ M: long-long-type box-return ( type -- )
     <c-type>
         c-ptr >>class
         [ alien-cell ] >>getter
-        [ set-alien-cell ] >>setter
+        [ [ >c-ptr ] 2dip set-alien-cell ] >>setter
         bootstrap-cell >>size
         bootstrap-cell >>align
+        [ >c-ptr ] >>unboxer-quot
         "box_alien" >>boxer
         "alien_offset" >>unboxer
     "void*" define-primitive-type
diff --git a/core/alien/alien.factor b/core/alien/alien.factor
index c97e36e889..93d1a8e306 100644
--- a/core/alien/alien.factor
+++ b/core/alien/alien.factor
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-! Copyright (C) 2004, 2008 Slava Pestov.
+! Copyright (C) 2004, 2009 Slava Pestov.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 USING: accessors assocs kernel math namespaces sequences system
 kernel.private byte-arrays arrays init ;
@@ -18,6 +18,14 @@ PREDICATE: pinned-alien < alien underlying>> pinned-c-ptr? ;
 UNION: pinned-c-ptr
     pinned-alien POSTPONE: f ;
 
+GENERIC: >c-ptr ( obj -- c-ptr )
+
+M: c-ptr >c-ptr ;
+
+SLOT: underlying
+
+M: object >c-ptr underlying>> ;
+
 GENERIC: expired? ( c-ptr -- ? ) flushable
 
 M: alien expired? expired>> ;