diff --git a/src/rustc/metadata/common.rs b/src/rustc/metadata/common.rs
index 54a05cc206d..f7bdeecb20c 100644
--- a/src/rustc/metadata/common.rs
+++ b/src/rustc/metadata/common.rs
@@ -85,8 +85,7 @@ const tag_item_field: uint = 0x44u;
 const tag_class_mut: uint = 0x45u;
 
 const tag_region_param: uint = 0x46u;
-const tag_mod_impl_use: uint = 0x47u;
-const tag_mod_impl_iface: uint = 0x48u;
+const tag_mod_impl_iface: uint = 0x47u;
 /*
   iface items contain tag_item_iface_method elements,
   impl items contain tag_item_impl_method elements, and classes
@@ -95,7 +94,7 @@ const tag_mod_impl_iface: uint = 0x48u;
   both, tag_item_iface_method and tag_item_impl_method have to be two
   different tags.
  */
-const tag_item_impl_method: uint = 0x49u;
+const tag_item_impl_method: uint = 0x48u;
 
 // used to encode crate_ctxt side tables
 enum astencode_tag { // Reserves 0x50 -- 0x6f
diff --git a/src/rustc/metadata/decoder.rs b/src/rustc/metadata/decoder.rs
index ef0bd869482..01b07265638 100644
--- a/src/rustc/metadata/decoder.rs
+++ b/src/rustc/metadata/decoder.rs
@@ -417,24 +417,8 @@ fn get_impls_for_mod(cdata: cmd, m_id: ast::node_id,
     let mod_item = lookup_item(m_id, data);
     let mut result = [];
     ebml::tagged_docs(mod_item, tag_mod_impl) {|doc|
-        /*
-          Pair of an item did and an iface did.
-          The second one is unneeded if the first id names
-          an impl; disambiguates if it's a class
-        */
-        let did = parse_def_id(ebml::doc_data(ebml::get_doc(doc,
-                                                      tag_mod_impl_use)));
+        let did = parse_def_id(ebml::doc_data(doc));
         let local_did = translate_def_id(cdata, did);
-        /*
-        // iface is optional
-        let iface_did = option::map(ebml::maybe_get_doc(doc,
-                                           tag_mod_impl_iface)) {|d|
-                                     parse_def_id(ebml::doc_data(d))};
-        option::iter(iface_did) {|x|
-                let _local_iface_did = translate_def_id(cdata, x);
-        };
-        */
-        // CONFUSED -- previous code is pointless
           // The impl may be defined in a different crate. Ask the caller
           // to give us the metadata
         let impl_cdata = get_cdata(local_did.crate);
@@ -444,8 +428,6 @@ fn get_impls_for_mod(cdata: cmd, m_id: ast::node_id,
         if alt name { some(n) { n == nm } none { true } } {
            let base_tps = item_ty_param_count(item);
            result += [@{
-                   // here, we need to... reconstruct the iface_ref?
-                   // probz broken
                 did: local_did, ident: nm,
                 methods: item_impl_methods(impl_cdata, item, base_tps)
             }];
diff --git a/src/rustc/metadata/encoder.rs b/src/rustc/metadata/encoder.rs
index 9fd63ecf2fd..5a3e43e7784 100644
--- a/src/rustc/metadata/encoder.rs
+++ b/src/rustc/metadata/encoder.rs
@@ -372,8 +372,7 @@ fn encode_info_for_mod(ecx: @encode_ctxt, ebml_w: ebml::writer, md: _mod,
                 ebml_w.start_tag(tag_mod_impl);
             /* If did stands for an iface
                ref, we need to map it to its parent class */
-                ebml_w.start_tag(tag_mod_impl_use);
-                let iface_ty = alt ecx.ccx.tcx.items.get(i.did.node) {
+                alt ecx.ccx.tcx.items.get(i.did.node) {
                   ast_map::node_item(it@@{node: cl@item_class(*),_},_) {
                     ebml_w.wr_str(def_to_str(local_def(it.id)));
                     some(ty::lookup_item_type(ecx.ccx.tcx, i.did).ty)
@@ -388,26 +387,6 @@ fn encode_info_for_mod(ecx: @encode_ctxt, ebml_w: ebml::writer, md: _mod,
                   }
                 };
                 ebml_w.end_tag();
-
-                /*
-                /* Write the iface did if it exists */
-                option::iter(iface_ty) {|i|
-                alt ty::get(i).struct {
-                  ty::ty_iface(did, tys) {
-                    // FIXME: tys?
-                      ebml_w.start_tag(tag_mod_impl_iface);
-                     ebml_w.wr_str(def_to_str(did));
-                     ebml_w.end_tag();
-
-                  }
-                  t {
-                      ecx.ccx.tcx.sess.bug(#fmt("Expected item to implement \
-                       an iface, but found %s",
-                       util::ppaux::ty_to_str(ecx.ccx.tcx, i)));
-                  }
-                }}
-                */
-                ebml_w.end_tag();
             } // if
             } // for
       } // list::cons alt