diff --git a/hack/.golint_failures b/hack/.golint_failures
index dab25848dd0..6c8bd346931 100644
--- a/hack/.golint_failures
+++ b/hack/.golint_failures
@@ -505,7 +505,6 @@ staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1alpha1
 staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/testapigroup
 staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/testapigroup/v1
 staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion
-staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured
 staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels
 staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema
 staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer
diff --git a/pkg/api/testing/BUILD b/pkg/api/testing/BUILD
index 149b71937be..9c04ee34584 100644
--- a/pkg/api/testing/BUILD
+++ b/pkg/api/testing/BUILD
@@ -97,7 +97,6 @@ go_test(
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer/protobuf:go_default_library",
diff --git a/pkg/api/testing/unstructured_test.go b/pkg/api/testing/unstructured_test.go
index c3cc41424a9..005b5d4a9ae 100644
--- a/pkg/api/testing/unstructured_test.go
+++ b/pkg/api/testing/unstructured_test.go
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/testing/fuzzer"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	metaunstruct "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured"
-	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/diff"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/json"
@@ -99,14 +98,14 @@ func doRoundTrip(t *testing.T, group testapi.TestGroup, kind string) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	newUnstr, err := unstructured.DefaultConverter.ToUnstructured(item)
+	newUnstr, err := runtime.NewTestUnstructuredConverter(apiequality.Semantic).ToUnstructured(item)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("ToUnstructured failed: %v", err)
 		return
 	}
 
 	newObj := reflect.New(reflect.TypeOf(item).Elem()).Interface().(runtime.Object)
-	err = unstructured.DefaultConverter.FromUnstructured(newUnstr, newObj)
+	err = runtime.DefaultUnstructuredConverter.FromUnstructured(newUnstr, newObj)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("FromUnstructured failed: %v", err)
 		return
@@ -146,7 +145,7 @@ func TestRoundTripWithEmptyCreationTimestamp(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 			t.Logf("Testing: %v in %v", kind, groupKey)
 
-			unstrBody, err := unstructured.DefaultConverter.ToUnstructured(item)
+			unstrBody, err := runtime.DefaultUnstructuredConverter.ToUnstructured(item)
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Fatalf("ToUnstructured failed: %v", err)
 			}
@@ -163,7 +162,7 @@ func TestRoundTripWithEmptyCreationTimestamp(t *testing.T) {
 			// attempt to re-convert unstructured object - conversion should not fail
 			// based on empty metadata fields, such as creationTimestamp
 			newObj := reflect.New(reflect.TypeOf(item).Elem()).Interface().(runtime.Object)
-			err = unstructured.DefaultConverter.FromUnstructured(unstructObj.Object, newObj)
+			err = runtime.NewTestUnstructuredConverter(apiequality.Semantic).FromUnstructured(unstructObj.Object, newObj)
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Fatalf("FromUnstructured failed: %v", err)
 			}
@@ -176,12 +175,12 @@ func BenchmarkToFromUnstructured(b *testing.B) {
 	size := len(items)
 	b.ResetTimer()
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-		unstr, err := unstructured.DefaultConverter.ToUnstructured(&items[i%size])
+		unstr, err := runtime.NewTestUnstructuredConverter(apiequality.Semantic).ToUnstructured(&items[i%size])
 		if err != nil {
 			b.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 		}
 		obj := v1.Pod{}
-		if err := unstructured.DefaultConverter.FromUnstructured(unstr, &obj); err != nil {
+		if err := runtime.NewTestUnstructuredConverter(apiequality.Semantic).FromUnstructured(unstr, &obj); err != nil {
 			b.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/api/Godeps/Godeps.json b/staging/src/k8s.io/api/Godeps/Godeps.json
index 83b361acac5..ffa35e2d980 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/api/Godeps/Godeps.json
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/api/Godeps/Godeps.json
@@ -182,6 +182,10 @@
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/intstr",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
 		},
+		{
+			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/json",
+			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
+		},
 		{
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/net",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/Godeps/Godeps.json b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/Godeps/Godeps.json
index 7f61204935c..bd34b09887e 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/Godeps/Godeps.json
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/Godeps/Godeps.json
@@ -702,10 +702,6 @@
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/queryparams",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
 		},
-		{
-			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured",
-			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
-		},
 		{
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/fields",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/BUILD b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/BUILD
index 870ef7b906c..7ae9cb0f9d8 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/BUILD
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/BUILD
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ go_library(
     importpath = "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured",
     deps = [
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types:go_default_library",
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/helpers.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/helpers.go
index ac4355bf577..5c9f1a55509 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/helpers.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/helpers.go
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
-	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@ func NestedFieldCopy(obj map[string]interface{}, fields ...string) (interface{},
 	if !ok {
 		return nil, false
 	}
-	return unstructured.DeepCopyJSONValue(val), true
+	return runtime.DeepCopyJSONValue(val), true
 }
 
 func nestedFieldNoCopy(obj map[string]interface{}, fields ...string) (interface{}, bool) {
@@ -131,7 +130,7 @@ func NestedSlice(obj map[string]interface{}, fields ...string) ([]interface{}, b
 		return nil, false
 	}
 	if _, ok := val.([]interface{}); ok {
-		return unstructured.DeepCopyJSONValue(val).([]interface{}), true
+		return runtime.DeepCopyJSONValue(val).([]interface{}), true
 	}
 	return nil, false
 }
@@ -165,7 +164,7 @@ func NestedMap(obj map[string]interface{}, fields ...string) (map[string]interfa
 		return nil, false
 	}
 	if m, ok := val.(map[string]interface{}); ok {
-		return unstructured.DeepCopyJSON(m), true
+		return runtime.DeepCopyJSON(m), true
 	}
 	return nil, false
 }
@@ -173,7 +172,7 @@ func NestedMap(obj map[string]interface{}, fields ...string) (map[string]interfa
 // SetNestedField sets the value of a nested field to a deep copy of the value provided.
 // Returns false if value cannot be set because one of the nesting levels is not a map[string]interface{}.
 func SetNestedField(obj map[string]interface{}, value interface{}, fields ...string) bool {
-	return setNestedFieldNoCopy(obj, unstructured.DeepCopyJSONValue(value), fields...)
+	return setNestedFieldNoCopy(obj, runtime.DeepCopyJSONValue(value), fields...)
 }
 
 func setNestedFieldNoCopy(obj map[string]interface{}, value interface{}, fields ...string) bool {
@@ -288,8 +287,6 @@ func setOwnerReference(src metav1.OwnerReference) map[string]interface{} {
 	return ret
 }
 
-var converter = unstructured.NewConverter(false)
-
 // UnstructuredJSONScheme is capable of converting JSON data into the Unstructured
 // type, which can be used for generic access to objects without a predefined scheme.
 // TODO: move into serializer/json.
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/unstructured.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/unstructured.go
index 56d18a32e85..c635f34409b 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/unstructured.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/unstructured.go
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
-	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
@@ -112,7 +111,7 @@ func (in *Unstructured) DeepCopy() *Unstructured {
 	}
 	out := new(Unstructured)
 	*out = *in
-	out.Object = unstructured.DeepCopyJSON(in.Object)
+	out.Object = runtime.DeepCopyJSON(in.Object)
 	return out
 }
 
@@ -348,7 +347,7 @@ func (u *Unstructured) GetInitializers() *metav1.Initializers {
 		return nil
 	}
 	out := &metav1.Initializers{}
-	if err := converter.FromUnstructured(obj, out); err != nil {
+	if err := runtime.DefaultUnstructuredConverter.FromUnstructured(obj, out); err != nil {
 		utilruntime.HandleError(fmt.Errorf("unable to retrieve initializers for object: %v", err))
 	}
 	return out
@@ -359,7 +358,7 @@ func (u *Unstructured) SetInitializers(initializers *metav1.Initializers) {
 		RemoveNestedField(u.Object, "metadata", "initializers")
 		return
 	}
-	out, err := converter.ToUnstructured(initializers)
+	out, err := runtime.DefaultUnstructuredConverter.ToUnstructured(initializers)
 	if err != nil {
 		utilruntime.HandleError(fmt.Errorf("unable to retrieve initializers for object: %v", err))
 	}
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/unstructured_list.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/unstructured_list.go
index 11270a6bf83..4db4162ac29 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/unstructured_list.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured/unstructured_list.go
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
-	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
 )
@@ -80,7 +79,7 @@ func (u *UnstructuredList) DeepCopy() *UnstructuredList {
 	}
 	out := new(UnstructuredList)
 	*out = *u
-	out.Object = unstructured.DeepCopyJSON(u.Object)
+	out.Object = runtime.DeepCopyJSON(u.Object)
 	out.Items = make([]Unstructured, len(u.Items))
 	for i := range u.Items {
 		u.Items[i].DeepCopyInto(&out.Items[i])
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/BUILD b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/BUILD
index 72add7598f6..184dafbff1d 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/BUILD
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/BUILD
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@ filegroup(
     srcs = [
         ":package-srcs",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/queryparams:all-srcs",
-        "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured:all-srcs",
     ],
     tags = ["automanaged"],
 )
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/BUILD b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/BUILD
deleted file mode 100644
index 91c1bb00bdf..00000000000
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/BUILD
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,39 +0,0 @@
-package(default_visibility = ["//visibility:public"])
-
-load(
-    "@io_bazel_rules_go//go:def.bzl",
-    "go_library",
-)
-
-go_library(
-    name = "go_default_library",
-    srcs = [
-        "converter.go",
-        "doc.go",
-    ],
-    importpath = "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured",
-    deps = [
-        "//vendor/github.com/golang/glog:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/equality:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/diff:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/json:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/runtime:go_default_library",
-    ],
-)
-
-filegroup(
-    name = "package-srcs",
-    srcs = glob(["**"]),
-    tags = ["automanaged"],
-    visibility = ["//visibility:private"],
-)
-
-filegroup(
-    name = "all-srcs",
-    srcs = [
-        ":package-srcs",
-        "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/testing:all-srcs",
-    ],
-    tags = ["automanaged"],
-)
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/doc.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/doc.go
deleted file mode 100644
index cd40e74bed3..00000000000
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/doc.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,19 +0,0 @@
-/*
-Copyright 2017 The Kubernetes Authors.
-
-Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
-you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
-You may obtain a copy of the License at
-
-    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-
-Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
-distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
-WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
-See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
-limitations under the License.
-*/
-
-// Package unstructured provides conversion from runtime objects
-// to map[string]interface{} representation.
-package unstructured // import "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured"
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/testing/BUILD b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/testing/BUILD
deleted file mode 100644
index eaeca02a7ed..00000000000
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/testing/BUILD
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,29 +0,0 @@
-load("@io_bazel_rules_go//go:def.bzl", "go_test")
-
-go_test(
-    name = "go_default_test",
-    srcs = ["converter_test.go"],
-    importpath = "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/testing",
-    deps = [
-        "//vendor/github.com/stretchr/testify/assert:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/github.com/stretchr/testify/require:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/diff:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/json:go_default_library",
-    ],
-)
-
-filegroup(
-    name = "package-srcs",
-    srcs = glob(["**"]),
-    tags = ["automanaged"],
-    visibility = ["//visibility:private"],
-)
-
-filegroup(
-    name = "all-srcs",
-    srcs = [":package-srcs"],
-    tags = ["automanaged"],
-    visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
-)
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/BUILD b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/BUILD
index 2085e643fd6..93c6dcbfc77 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/BUILD
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/BUILD
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ go_library(
         "codec.go",
         "codec_check.go",
         "conversion.go",
+        "converter.go",
         "doc.go",
         "embedded.go",
         "error.go",
@@ -37,10 +38,13 @@ go_library(
     importpath = "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime",
     deps = [
         "//vendor/github.com/gogo/protobuf/proto:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/github.com/golang/glog:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/queryparams:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/errors:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/json:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/runtime:go_default_library",
     ],
 )
 
@@ -48,6 +52,7 @@ go_test(
     name = "go_default_xtest",
     srcs = [
         "conversion_test.go",
+        "converter_test.go",
         "embedded_test.go",
         "extension_test.go",
         "scheme_test.go",
@@ -56,13 +61,17 @@ go_test(
     deps = [
         "//vendor/github.com/google/gofuzz:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/github.com/spf13/pflag:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/github.com/stretchr/testify/assert:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/github.com/stretchr/testify/require:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/meta:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/testing:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/diff:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/json:go_default_library",
     ],
 )
 
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/converter.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/converter.go
similarity index 92%
rename from staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/converter.go
rename to staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/converter.go
index 077d173d8c1..b10fe4858bf 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/converter.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/converter.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
 
-package unstructured
+package runtime
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
@@ -27,19 +27,18 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
+	"time"
 
-	apiequality "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/equality"
-	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
-	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/diff"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/json"
 	utilruntime "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/runtime"
 
 	"github.com/golang/glog"
 )
 
-// Converter is an interface for converting between interface{}
+// UnstructuredConverter is an interface for converting between interface{}
 // and map[string]interface representation.
-type Converter interface {
+type UnstructuredConverter interface {
 	ToUnstructured(obj interface{}) (map[string]interface{}, error)
 	FromUnstructured(u map[string]interface{}, obj interface{}) error
 }
@@ -78,7 +77,16 @@ var (
 	float64Type            = reflect.TypeOf(float64(0))
 	boolType               = reflect.TypeOf(bool(false))
 	fieldCache             = newFieldsCache()
-	DefaultConverter       = NewConverter(parseBool(os.Getenv("KUBE_PATCH_CONVERSION_DETECTOR")))
+
+	// DefaultUnstructuredConverter performs unstructured to Go typed object conversions.
+	DefaultUnstructuredConverter = &unstructuredConverter{
+		mismatchDetection: parseBool(os.Getenv("KUBE_PATCH_CONVERSION_DETECTOR")),
+		comparison: conversion.EqualitiesOrDie(
+			func(a, b time.Time) bool {
+				return a.UTC() == b.UTC()
+			},
+		),
+	}
 )
 
 func parseBool(key string) bool {
@@ -92,24 +100,30 @@ func parseBool(key string) bool {
 	return value
 }
 
-// ConverterImpl knows how to convert between interface{} and
+// unstructuredConverter knows how to convert between interface{} and
 // Unstructured in both ways.
-type converterImpl struct {
+type unstructuredConverter struct {
 	// If true, we will be additionally running conversion via json
 	// to ensure that the result is true.
 	// This is supposed to be set only in tests.
 	mismatchDetection bool
+	// comparison is the default test logic used to compare
+	comparison conversion.Equalities
 }
 
-func NewConverter(mismatchDetection bool) Converter {
-	return &converterImpl{
-		mismatchDetection: mismatchDetection,
+// NewTestUnstructuredConverter creates an UnstructuredConverter that accepts JSON typed maps and translates them
+// to Go types via reflection. It performs mismatch detection automatically and is intended for use by external
+// test tools. Use DefaultUnstructuredConverter if you do not explicitly need mismatch detection.
+func NewTestUnstructuredConverter(comparison conversion.Equalities) UnstructuredConverter {
+	return &unstructuredConverter{
+		mismatchDetection: true,
+		comparison:        comparison,
 	}
 }
 
 // FromUnstructured converts an object from map[string]interface{} representation into a concrete type.
 // It uses encoding/json/Unmarshaler if object implements it or reflection if not.
-func (c *converterImpl) FromUnstructured(u map[string]interface{}, obj interface{}) error {
+func (c *unstructuredConverter) FromUnstructured(u map[string]interface{}, obj interface{}) error {
 	t := reflect.TypeOf(obj)
 	value := reflect.ValueOf(obj)
 	if t.Kind() != reflect.Ptr || value.IsNil() {
@@ -122,8 +136,8 @@ func (c *converterImpl) FromUnstructured(u map[string]interface{}, obj interface
 		if (err != nil) != (newErr != nil) {
 			glog.Fatalf("FromUnstructured unexpected error for %v: error: %v", u, err)
 		}
-		if err == nil && !apiequality.Semantic.DeepEqual(obj, newObj) {
-			glog.Fatalf("FromUnstructured mismatch for %#v, diff: %v", obj, diff.ObjectReflectDiff(obj, newObj))
+		if err == nil && !c.comparison.DeepEqual(obj, newObj) {
+			glog.Fatalf("FromUnstructured mismatch\nobj1: %#v\nobj2: %#v", obj, newObj)
 		}
 	}
 	return err
@@ -393,10 +407,10 @@ func interfaceFromUnstructured(sv, dv reflect.Value) error {
 
 // ToUnstructured converts an object into map[string]interface{} representation.
 // It uses encoding/json/Marshaler if object implements it or reflection if not.
-func (c *converterImpl) ToUnstructured(obj interface{}) (map[string]interface{}, error) {
+func (c *unstructuredConverter) ToUnstructured(obj interface{}) (map[string]interface{}, error) {
 	var u map[string]interface{}
 	var err error
-	if unstr, ok := obj.(runtime.Unstructured); ok {
+	if unstr, ok := obj.(Unstructured); ok {
 		u = DeepCopyJSON(unstr.UnstructuredContent())
 	} else {
 		t := reflect.TypeOf(obj)
@@ -413,8 +427,8 @@ func (c *converterImpl) ToUnstructured(obj interface{}) (map[string]interface{},
 		if (err != nil) != (newErr != nil) {
 			glog.Fatalf("ToUnstructured unexpected error for %v: error: %v; newErr: %v", obj, err, newErr)
 		}
-		if err == nil && !apiequality.Semantic.DeepEqual(u, newUnstr) {
-			glog.Fatalf("ToUnstructured mismatch for %#v, diff: %v", u, diff.ObjectReflectDiff(u, newUnstr))
+		if err == nil && !c.comparison.DeepEqual(u, newUnstr) {
+			glog.Fatalf("ToUnstructured mismatch\nobj1: %#v\nobj2: %#v", u, newUnstr)
 		}
 	}
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/testing/converter_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/converter_test.go
similarity index 93%
rename from staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/testing/converter_test.go
rename to staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/converter_test.go
index f367c6310b6..1e9515102cf 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured/testing/converter_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/converter_test.go
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 // Unstructured type depends on unstructured converter package but we want to test how the converter handles
 // the Unstructured type so we need to import both.
 
-package testing
+package runtime_test
 
 import (
 	encodingjson "encoding/json"
@@ -26,9 +26,11 @@ import (
 	"reflect"
 	"strconv"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured"
-	conversionunstructured "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/diff"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/json"
 
@@ -36,6 +38,12 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
+var simpleEquality = conversion.EqualitiesOrDie(
+	func(a, b time.Time) bool {
+		return a.UTC() == b.UTC()
+	},
+)
+
 // Definte a number of test types.
 type A struct {
 	A int    `json:"aa,omitempty"`
@@ -137,14 +145,15 @@ func doRoundTrip(t *testing.T, item interface{}) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	newUnstr, err := conversionunstructured.DefaultConverter.ToUnstructured(item)
+	// TODO: should be using mismatch detection but fails due to another error
+	newUnstr, err := runtime.DefaultUnstructuredConverter.ToUnstructured(item)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("ToUnstructured failed: %v", err)
 		return
 	}
 
 	newObj := reflect.New(reflect.TypeOf(item).Elem()).Interface()
-	err = conversionunstructured.DefaultConverter.FromUnstructured(newUnstr, newObj)
+	err = runtime.NewTestUnstructuredConverter(simpleEquality).FromUnstructured(newUnstr, newObj)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("FromUnstructured failed: %v", err)
 		return
@@ -239,10 +248,9 @@ func TestRoundTrip(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	for i := range testCases {
-		doRoundTrip(t, testCases[i].obj)
-		if t.Failed() {
-			break
-		}
+		t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("%d", i), func(t *testing.T) {
+			doRoundTrip(t, testCases[i].obj)
+		})
 	}
 }
 
@@ -265,7 +273,7 @@ func doUnrecognized(t *testing.T, jsonData string, item interface{}, expectedErr
 		return
 	}
 	newObj := reflect.New(reflect.TypeOf(item).Elem()).Interface()
-	err = conversionunstructured.DefaultConverter.FromUnstructured(unstr, newObj)
+	err = runtime.NewTestUnstructuredConverter(simpleEquality).FromUnstructured(unstr, newObj)
 	if (err != nil) != (expectedErr != nil) {
 		t.Errorf("Unexpected error in FromUnstructured: %v, expected: %v", err, expectedErr)
 	}
@@ -479,7 +487,7 @@ func TestDeepCopyJSON(t *testing.T) {
 		"f": true,
 		"g": encodingjson.Number("123"),
 	}
-	deepCopy := conversionunstructured.DeepCopyJSON(src)
+	deepCopy := runtime.DeepCopyJSON(src)
 	assert.Equal(t, src, deepCopy)
 }
 
@@ -487,7 +495,7 @@ func TestFloatIntConversion(t *testing.T) {
 	unstr := map[string]interface{}{"fd": float64(3)}
 
 	var obj F
-	if err := conversionunstructured.DefaultConverter.FromUnstructured(unstr, &obj); err != nil {
+	if err := runtime.NewTestUnstructuredConverter(simpleEquality).FromUnstructured(unstr, &obj); err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("Unexpected error in FromUnstructured: %v", err)
 	}
 
@@ -525,7 +533,7 @@ func TestCustomToUnstructured(t *testing.T) {
 		tc := tc
 		t.Run(tc.Data, func(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Parallel()
-			result, err := conversionunstructured.DefaultConverter.ToUnstructured(&G{
+			result, err := runtime.NewTestUnstructuredConverter(simpleEquality).ToUnstructured(&G{
 				CustomValue1:   CustomValue{data: []byte(tc.Data)},
 				CustomValue2:   &CustomValue{data: []byte(tc.Data)},
 				CustomPointer1: CustomPointer{data: []byte(tc.Data)},
@@ -550,7 +558,7 @@ func TestCustomToUnstructuredTopLevel(t *testing.T) {
 		obj := obj
 		t.Run(strconv.Itoa(i), func(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Parallel()
-			result, err := conversionunstructured.DefaultConverter.ToUnstructured(obj)
+			result, err := runtime.NewTestUnstructuredConverter(simpleEquality).ToUnstructured(obj)
 			require.NoError(t, err)
 			assert.Equal(t, expected, result)
 		})
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/Godeps/Godeps.json b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/Godeps/Godeps.json
index 1e0d2090888..717b1127f6f 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/Godeps/Godeps.json
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/Godeps/Godeps.json
@@ -954,10 +954,6 @@
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/queryparams",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
 		},
-		{
-			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured",
-			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
-		},
 		{
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/fields",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/BUILD b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/BUILD
index 92b7b282322..7e2cdcc1b19 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/BUILD
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/BUILD
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ go_library(
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/internalversion:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1alpha1:go_default_library",
-        "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/fields:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema:go_default_library",
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/patch.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/patch.go
index 8db9f40c93a..1ac736d09dd 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/patch.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/patch.go
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ import (
 
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/meta"
-	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
@@ -232,7 +231,7 @@ func patchResource(
 					return nil, err
 				}
 				// Capture the original object map and patch for possible retries.
-				originalMap, err := unstructured.DefaultConverter.ToUnstructured(currentVersionedObject)
+				originalMap, err := runtime.DefaultUnstructuredConverter.ToUnstructured(currentVersionedObject)
 				if err != nil {
 					return nil, err
 				}
@@ -278,7 +277,7 @@ func patchResource(
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
-			currentObjMap, err := unstructured.DefaultConverter.ToUnstructured(currentVersionedObject)
+			currentObjMap, err := runtime.DefaultUnstructuredConverter.ToUnstructured(currentVersionedObject)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
@@ -425,7 +424,7 @@ func strategicPatchObject(
 	objToUpdate runtime.Object,
 	versionedObj runtime.Object,
 ) error {
-	originalObjMap, err := unstructured.DefaultConverter.ToUnstructured(originalObject)
+	originalObjMap, err := runtime.DefaultUnstructuredConverter.ToUnstructured(originalObject)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -458,7 +457,7 @@ func applyPatchToObject(
 	}
 
 	// Rather than serialize the patched map to JSON, then decode it to an object, we go directly from a map to an object
-	if err := unstructured.DefaultConverter.FromUnstructured(patchedObjMap, objToUpdate); err != nil {
+	if err := runtime.DefaultUnstructuredConverter.FromUnstructured(patchedObjMap, objToUpdate); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	// Decoding from JSON to a versioned object would apply defaults, so we do the same here
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/Godeps/Godeps.json b/staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/Godeps/Godeps.json
index 917b30d09e7..32a753405b9 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/Godeps/Godeps.json
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/Godeps/Godeps.json
@@ -546,10 +546,6 @@
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/queryparams",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
 		},
-		{
-			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured",
-			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
-		},
 		{
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/fields",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/kube-aggregator/Godeps/Godeps.json b/staging/src/k8s.io/kube-aggregator/Godeps/Godeps.json
index 77163536018..80920dbf316 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/kube-aggregator/Godeps/Godeps.json
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/kube-aggregator/Godeps/Godeps.json
@@ -666,10 +666,6 @@
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/queryparams",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
 		},
-		{
-			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured",
-			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
-		},
 		{
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/fields",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/metrics/Godeps/Godeps.json b/staging/src/k8s.io/metrics/Godeps/Godeps.json
index f04be36963f..155f834ab7d 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/metrics/Godeps/Godeps.json
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/metrics/Godeps/Godeps.json
@@ -14,10 +14,6 @@
 			"ImportPath": "github.com/PuerkitoBio/urlesc",
 			"Rev": "5bd2802263f21d8788851d5305584c82a5c75d7e"
 		},
-		{
-			"ImportPath": "github.com/davecgh/go-spew/spew",
-			"Rev": "782f4967f2dc4564575ca782fe2d04090b5faca8"
-		},
 		{
 			"ImportPath": "github.com/emicklei/go-restful",
 			"Rev": "ff4f55a206334ef123e4f79bbf348980da81ca46"
@@ -306,10 +302,6 @@
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/api/storage/v1beta1",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
 		},
-		{
-			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/equality",
-			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
-		},
 		{
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
@@ -354,10 +346,6 @@
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/queryparams",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
 		},
-		{
-			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured",
-			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
-		},
 		{
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/fields",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
@@ -410,10 +398,6 @@
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/clock",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
 		},
-		{
-			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/diff",
-			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
-		},
 		{
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/errors",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-apiserver/Godeps/Godeps.json b/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-apiserver/Godeps/Godeps.json
index d08413cd72d..41c1836a982 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-apiserver/Godeps/Godeps.json
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-apiserver/Godeps/Godeps.json
@@ -666,10 +666,6 @@
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/queryparams",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
 		},
-		{
-			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured",
-			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
-		},
 		{
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/fields",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-controller/Godeps/Godeps.json b/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-controller/Godeps/Godeps.json
index b6412341fc7..4368edf042c 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-controller/Godeps/Godeps.json
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/sample-controller/Godeps/Godeps.json
@@ -342,10 +342,6 @@
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/api/storage/v1beta1",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
 		},
-		{
-			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/equality",
-			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
-		},
 		{
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
@@ -382,10 +378,6 @@
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/queryparams",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
 		},
-		{
-			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/conversion/unstructured",
-			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
-		},
 		{
 			"ImportPath": "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/fields",
 			"Rev": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"