diff --git a/cluster/gce/config-default.sh b/cluster/gce/config-default.sh
index 2f723af69d5..9564b9032e3 100755
--- a/cluster/gce/config-default.sh
+++ b/cluster/gce/config-default.sh
@@ -23,11 +23,14 @@ MINION_SIZE=${MINION_SIZE:-n1-standard-1}
 NUM_MINIONS=${NUM_MINIONS:-4}
 MINION_DISK_TYPE=pd-standard
 MINION_DISK_SIZE=${MINION_DISK_SIZE:-100GB}
-# TODO(dchen1107): Filed an internal issue to create an alias
-# for containervm image, so that gcloud will expand this
-# to the latest supported image.
-IMAGE=container-vm-v20150317
-IMAGE_PROJECT=google-containers
+
+OS_DISTRIBUTION=${KUBE_OS_DISTRIBUTION:-debian}
+MASTER_IMAGE=${KUBE_GCE_MASTER_IMAGE:-container-vm-v20150317}
+MASTER_IMAGE_PROJECT=${KUBE_GCE_MASTER_PROJECT:-google-containers}
+MINION_IMAGE=${KUBE_GCE_MINION_IMAGE:-container-vm-v20150317}
+MINION_IMAGE_PROJECT=${KUBE_GCE_MINION_PROJECT:-google-containers}
+CONTAINER_RUNTIME=${KUBE_CONTAINER_RUNTIME:-docker}
+
 NETWORK=${KUBE_GCE_NETWORK:-default}
 INSTANCE_PREFIX="${KUBE_GCE_INSTANCE_PREFIX:-kubernetes}"
 MASTER_NAME="${INSTANCE_PREFIX}-master"
diff --git a/cluster/gce/config-test.sh b/cluster/gce/config-test.sh
index 41b391f99db..69ea1c01682 100755
--- a/cluster/gce/config-test.sh
+++ b/cluster/gce/config-test.sh
@@ -23,11 +23,14 @@ MINION_SIZE=${MINION_SIZE:-g1-small}
 NUM_MINIONS=${NUM_MINIONS:-2}
 MINION_DISK_TYPE=pd-standard
 MINION_DISK_SIZE=${MINION_DISK_SIZE:-100GB}
-# TODO(dchen1107): Filed an internal issue to create an alias
-# for containervm image, so that gcloud will expand this
-# to the latest supported image.
-IMAGE=container-vm-v20150317
-IMAGE_PROJECT=google-containers
+
+OS_DISTRIBUTION=${KUBE_OS_DISTRIBUTION:-debian}
+MASTER_IMAGE=${KUBE_GCE_MASTER_IMAGE:-container-vm-v20150317}
+MASTER_IMAGE_PROJECT=${KUBE_GCE_MASTER_PROJECT:-google-containers}
+MINION_IMAGE=${KUBE_GCE_MINION_IMAGE:-container-vm-v20150317}
+MINION_IMAGE_PROJECT=${KUBE_GCE_MINION_PROJECT:-google-containers}
+CONTAINER_RUNTIME=${KUBE_CONTAINER_RUNTIME:-docker}
+
 NETWORK=${KUBE_GCE_NETWORK:-e2e}
 INSTANCE_PREFIX="${KUBE_GCE_INSTANCE_PREFIX:-e2e-test-${USER}}"
 MASTER_NAME="${INSTANCE_PREFIX}-master"
diff --git a/cluster/gce/util.sh b/cluster/gce/util.sh
index 7b46b2a1344..90bf24259a1 100755
--- a/cluster/gce/util.sh
+++ b/cluster/gce/util.sh
@@ -367,8 +367,8 @@ function create-node-template {
       --machine-type "${MINION_SIZE}" \
       --boot-disk-type "${MINION_DISK_TYPE}" \
       --boot-disk-size "${MINION_DISK_SIZE}" \
-      --image-project="${IMAGE_PROJECT}" \
-      --image "${IMAGE}" \
+      --image-project="${MINION_IMAGE_PROJECT}" \
+      --image "${MINION_IMAGE}" \
       --tags "${MINION_TAG}" \
       --network "${NETWORK}" \
       $2 \
@@ -522,8 +522,8 @@ function create-master-instance {
     --project "${PROJECT}" \
     --zone "${ZONE}" \
     --machine-type "${MASTER_SIZE}" \
-    --image-project="${IMAGE_PROJECT}" \
-    --image "${IMAGE}" \
+    --image-project="${MASTER_IMAGE_PROJECT}" \
+    --image "${MASTER_IMAGE}" \
     --tags "${MASTER_TAG}" \
     --network "${NETWORK}" \
     --scopes "storage-ro" "compute-rw" \