diff --git a/rakelib/configure.rake b/rakelib/configure.rake
index dc7a1c3..fda04f6 100644
--- a/rakelib/configure.rake
+++ b/rakelib/configure.rake
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ def write_rbconfig
     f.puts '  CONFIG["RUBY_SO_NAME"]       = "rubinius-#{Rubinius::RBX_VERSION}"'
     f.puts '  CONFIG["sitedir"]            = "$(install_prefix)/lib/rubinius"'
     f.puts '  CONFIG["rubyhdrdir"]         = "$(prefix)/shotgun/lib/subtend"'
-    f.puts '  CONFIG["wordsize"]           = Rubinius::WORDSIZE'
+    f.puts '  CONFIG["wordsize"]           = Rubinius::WORDSIZE.to_s'

     # TODO: we should compose sitelibdir from existing CONFIG keys
     f.puts "  CONFIG[\"sitelibdir\"]         = \"$(sitedir)/#{LIBVER}\""
@@ -294,11 +294,9 @@ def write_rbconfig
     f.puts <<-EOC
   # Adapted from MRI's' rbconfig.rb
   MAKEFILE_CONFIG = {}
-  CONFIG.each { |k,v| MAKEFILE_CONFIG[k] = v.kind_of?(String) ? v.dup : v }
+  CONFIG.each { |k,v| MAKEFILE_CONFIG[k] = v.dup }

   def Config.expand(val, config = CONFIG)
-    return val unless val.kind_of? String
-
     val.gsub!(/\\$\\$|\\$\\(([^()]+)\\)|\\$\\{([^{}]+)\\}/) do |var|
       if !(v = $1 || $2)
         '$'