diff --git a/bin/pax/cpio.c b/bin/pax/cpio.c
index 1909f8eaf712..67602fa87455 100644
--- a/bin/pax/cpio.c
+++ b/bin/pax/cpio.c
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ cpio_wr(ARCHD *arcn)
 {
 	HD_CPIO *hd;
 	int nsz;
-	char hdblk[sizeof(HD_CPIO)];
+	HD_CPIO hdblk;
 
 	/*
 	 * check and repair truncated device and inode fields in the header
@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@ cpio_wr(ARCHD *arcn)
 
 	arcn->pad = 0L;
 	nsz = arcn->nlen + 1;
-	hd = (HD_CPIO *)hdblk;
+	hd = &hdblk;
 	if ((arcn->type != PAX_BLK) && (arcn->type != PAX_CHR))
 		arcn->sb.st_rdev = 0;
 
@@ -467,7 +467,7 @@ cpio_wr(ARCHD *arcn)
 	/*
 	 * write the file name to the archive
 	 */
-	if ((wr_rdbuf(hdblk, (int)sizeof(HD_CPIO)) < 0) ||
+	if ((wr_rdbuf((char *)&hdblk, (int)sizeof(HD_CPIO)) < 0) ||
 	    (wr_rdbuf(arcn->name, nsz) < 0)) {
 		paxwarn(1, "Unable to write cpio header for %s", arcn->org_name);
 		return(-1);
@@ -701,7 +701,7 @@ vcpio_wr(ARCHD *arcn)
 {
 	HD_VCPIO *hd;
 	unsigned int nsz;
-	char hdblk[sizeof(HD_VCPIO)];
+	HD_VCPIO hdblk;
 
 	/*
 	 * check and repair truncated device and inode fields in the cpio
@@ -710,7 +710,7 @@ vcpio_wr(ARCHD *arcn)
 	if (map_dev(arcn, (u_long)VCPIO_MASK, (u_long)VCPIO_MASK) < 0)
 		return(-1);
 	nsz = arcn->nlen + 1;
-	hd = (HD_VCPIO *)hdblk;
+	hd = &hdblk;
 	if ((arcn->type != PAX_BLK) && (arcn->type != PAX_CHR))
 		arcn->sb.st_rdev = 0;
 
@@ -802,7 +802,7 @@ vcpio_wr(ARCHD *arcn)
 	/*
 	 * write the header, the file name and padding as required.
 	 */
-	if ((wr_rdbuf(hdblk, (int)sizeof(HD_VCPIO)) < 0) ||
+	if ((wr_rdbuf((char *)&hdblk, (int)sizeof(HD_VCPIO)) < 0) ||
 	    (wr_rdbuf(arcn->name, (int)nsz) < 0)  ||
 	    (wr_skip((off_t)(VCPIO_PAD(sizeof(HD_VCPIO) + nsz))) < 0)) {
 		paxwarn(1,"Could not write sv4cpio header for %s",arcn->org_name);
@@ -1001,7 +1001,7 @@ bcpio_wr(ARCHD *arcn)
 {
 	HD_BCPIO *hd;
 	int nsz;
-	char hdblk[sizeof(HD_BCPIO)];
+	HD_BCPIO hdblk;
 	off_t t_offt;
 	int t_int;
 	time_t t_timet;
@@ -1015,7 +1015,7 @@ bcpio_wr(ARCHD *arcn)
 
 	if ((arcn->type != PAX_BLK) && (arcn->type != PAX_CHR))
 		arcn->sb.st_rdev = 0;
-	hd = (HD_BCPIO *)hdblk;
+	hd = &hdblk;
 
 	switch(arcn->type) {
 	case PAX_CTG:
@@ -1115,7 +1115,7 @@ bcpio_wr(ARCHD *arcn)
 	/*
 	 * write the header, the file name and padding as required.
 	 */
-	if ((wr_rdbuf(hdblk, (int)sizeof(HD_BCPIO)) < 0) ||
+	if ((wr_rdbuf((char *)&hdblk, (int)sizeof(HD_BCPIO)) < 0) ||
 	    (wr_rdbuf(arcn->name, nsz) < 0) ||
 	    (wr_skip((off_t)(BCPIO_PAD(sizeof(HD_BCPIO) + nsz))) < 0)) {
 		paxwarn(1, "Could not write bcpio header for %s", arcn->org_name);
diff --git a/bin/pax/tar.c b/bin/pax/tar.c
index c23cd5b34f28..ab5bd3b12ad5 100644
--- a/bin/pax/tar.c
+++ b/bin/pax/tar.c
@@ -510,7 +510,7 @@ tar_wr(ARCHD *arcn)
 {
 	HD_TAR *hd;
 	int len;
-	char hdblk[sizeof(HD_TAR)];
+	HD_TAR hdblk;
 
 	/*
 	 * check for those file system types which tar cannot store
@@ -569,7 +569,7 @@ tar_wr(ARCHD *arcn)
 	 * added after the file data (0 for all other types, as they only have
 	 * a header)
 	 */
-	hd = (HD_TAR *)hdblk;
+	hd = &hdblk;
 	l_strncpy(hd->name, arcn->name, sizeof(hd->name) - 1);
 	hd->name[sizeof(hd->name) - 1] = '\0';
 	arcn->pad = 0;
@@ -636,10 +636,10 @@ tar_wr(ARCHD *arcn)
 	 * 0 tells the caller to now write the file data, 1 says no data needs
 	 * to be written
 	 */
-	if (ul_oct(tar_chksm(hdblk, sizeof(HD_TAR)), hd->chksum,
+	if (ul_oct(tar_chksm((char *)&hdblk, sizeof(HD_TAR)), hd->chksum,
 	    sizeof(hd->chksum), 3))
 		goto out;
-	if (wr_rdbuf(hdblk, sizeof(HD_TAR)) < 0)
+	if (wr_rdbuf((char *)&hdblk, sizeof(HD_TAR)) < 0)
 		return(-1);
 	if (wr_skip((off_t)(BLKMULT - sizeof(HD_TAR))) < 0)
 		return(-1);
@@ -898,7 +898,7 @@ ustar_wr(ARCHD *arcn)
 {
 	HD_USTAR *hd;
 	char *pt;
-	char hdblk[sizeof(HD_USTAR)];
+	HD_USTAR hdblk;
 
 	/*
 	 * check for those file system types ustar cannot store
@@ -926,7 +926,7 @@ ustar_wr(ARCHD *arcn)
 		paxwarn(1, "File name too long for ustar %s", arcn->name);
 		return(1);
 	}
-	hd = (HD_USTAR *)hdblk;
+	hd = &hdblk;
 	arcn->pad = 0L;
 
 	/*
@@ -1044,10 +1044,10 @@ ustar_wr(ARCHD *arcn)
 	 * return 0 tells the caller to now write the file data, 1 says no data
 	 * needs to be written
 	 */
-	if (ul_oct(tar_chksm(hdblk, sizeof(HD_USTAR)), hd->chksum,
+	if (ul_oct(tar_chksm((char *)&hdblk, sizeof(HD_USTAR)), hd->chksum,
 	   sizeof(hd->chksum), 3))
 		goto out;
-	if (wr_rdbuf(hdblk, sizeof(HD_USTAR)) < 0)
+	if (wr_rdbuf((char *)&hdblk, sizeof(HD_USTAR)) < 0)
 		return(-1);
 	if (wr_skip((off_t)(BLKMULT - sizeof(HD_USTAR))) < 0)
 		return(-1);