diff --git a/builder/googlecompute/builder.go b/builder/googlecompute/builder.go
index 25e048543..51704f8eb 100644
--- a/builder/googlecompute/builder.go
+++ b/builder/googlecompute/builder.go
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ func (b *Builder) Run(ui packer.Ui, hook packer.Hook, cache packer.Cache) (packe
 
 	// Build the steps.
 	steps := []multistep.Step{
-		new(stepCreateSSHKey),
+		new(StepCreateSSHKey),
 		new(stepCreateInstance),
 		new(stepInstanceInfo),
 		&common.StepConnectSSH{
diff --git a/builder/googlecompute/config_test.go b/builder/googlecompute/config_test.go
index 0000fc433..6fa1425db 100644
--- a/builder/googlecompute/config_test.go
+++ b/builder/googlecompute/config_test.go
@@ -15,6 +15,18 @@ func testConfig(t *testing.T) map[string]interface{} {
 	}
 }
 
+func testConfigStruct(t *testing.T) *Config {
+	c, warns, errs := NewConfig(testConfig(t))
+	if len(warns) > 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("bad: %#v", len(warns))
+	}
+	if errs != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("bad: %#v", errs)
+	}
+
+	return c
+}
+
 func testConfigErr(t *testing.T, warns []string, err error, extra string) {
 	if len(warns) > 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("bad: %#v", warns)
diff --git a/builder/googlecompute/step_create_ssh_key.go b/builder/googlecompute/step_create_ssh_key.go
index b4ce2ce88..814d5bf04 100644
--- a/builder/googlecompute/step_create_ssh_key.go
+++ b/builder/googlecompute/step_create_ssh_key.go
@@ -12,28 +12,28 @@ import (
 	"github.com/mitchellh/packer/packer"
 )
 
-// stepCreateSSHKey represents a Packer build step that generates SSH key pairs.
-type stepCreateSSHKey int
+// StepCreateSSHKey represents a Packer build step that generates SSH key pairs.
+type StepCreateSSHKey int
 
 // Run executes the Packer build step that generates SSH key pairs.
-func (s *stepCreateSSHKey) Run(state multistep.StateBag) multistep.StepAction {
-	var (
-		ui = state.Get("ui").(packer.Ui)
-	)
-	ui.Say("Creating temporary ssh key for instance...")
-	priv, err := rsa.GenerateKey(rand.Reader, 2014)
+func (s *StepCreateSSHKey) Run(state multistep.StateBag) multistep.StepAction {
+	ui := state.Get("ui").(packer.Ui)
+
+	ui.Say("Creating temporary SSH key for instance...")
+	priv, err := rsa.GenerateKey(rand.Reader, 2048)
 	if err != nil {
 		err := fmt.Errorf("Error creating temporary ssh key: %s", err)
 		state.Put("error", err)
 		ui.Error(err.Error())
 		return multistep.ActionHalt
 	}
-	priv_der := x509.MarshalPKCS1PrivateKey(priv)
+
 	priv_blk := pem.Block{
 		Type:    "RSA PRIVATE KEY",
 		Headers: nil,
-		Bytes:   priv_der,
+		Bytes:   x509.MarshalPKCS1PrivateKey(priv),
 	}
+
 	pub, err := ssh.NewPublicKey(&priv.PublicKey)
 	if err != nil {
 		err := fmt.Errorf("Error creating temporary ssh key: %s", err)
@@ -41,11 +41,11 @@ func (s *stepCreateSSHKey) Run(state multistep.StateBag) multistep.StepAction {
 		ui.Error(err.Error())
 		return multistep.ActionHalt
 	}
+
 	state.Put("ssh_private_key", string(pem.EncodeToMemory(&priv_blk)))
 	state.Put("ssh_public_key", string(ssh.MarshalAuthorizedKey(pub)))
 	return multistep.ActionContinue
 }
 
-// Cleanup.
 // Nothing to clean up. SSH keys are associated with a single GCE instance.
-func (s *stepCreateSSHKey) Cleanup(state multistep.StateBag) {}
+func (s *StepCreateSSHKey) Cleanup(state multistep.StateBag) {}
diff --git a/builder/googlecompute/step_create_ssh_key_test.go b/builder/googlecompute/step_create_ssh_key_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f6a41e66b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/builder/googlecompute/step_create_ssh_key_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+package googlecompute
+
+import (
+	"github.com/mitchellh/multistep"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestStepCreateSSHKey_impl(t *testing.T) {
+	var _ multistep.Step = new(StepCreateSSHKey)
+}
+
+func TestStepCreateSSHKey(t *testing.T) {
+	state := testState(t)
+	step := new(StepCreateSSHKey)
+	defer step.Cleanup(state)
+
+	// run the step
+	if action := step.Run(state); action != multistep.ActionContinue {
+		t.Fatalf("bad action: %#v", action)
+	}
+
+	// Verify that we have a public/private key
+	if _, ok := state.GetOk("ssh_private_key"); !ok {
+		t.Fatal("should have key")
+	}
+	if _, ok := state.GetOk("ssh_public_key"); !ok {
+		t.Fatal("should have key")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/builder/googlecompute/step_test.go b/builder/googlecompute/step_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b9a8ba153
--- /dev/null
+++ b/builder/googlecompute/step_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+package googlecompute
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"github.com/mitchellh/multistep"
+	"github.com/mitchellh/packer/packer"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func testState(t *testing.T) multistep.StateBag {
+	state := new(multistep.BasicStateBag)
+	state.Put("config", testConfigStruct(t))
+	state.Put("hook", &packer.MockHook{})
+	state.Put("ui", &packer.BasicUi{
+		Reader: new(bytes.Buffer),
+		Writer: new(bytes.Buffer),
+	})
+	return state
+}