diff --git a/board/freescale/mpc8308rdb/mpc8308rdb.c b/board/freescale/mpc8308rdb/mpc8308rdb.c
index 5c543573a81f046f88c1c1d2f5c9715151fad2ab..b97cdc13d89d38b4da6d70d7d2b3fe92826f7a65 100644
--- a/board/freescale/mpc8308rdb/mpc8308rdb.c
+++ b/board/freescale/mpc8308rdb/mpc8308rdb.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include <common.h>
 #include <hwconfig.h>
 #include <i2c.h>
+#include <spi.h>
 #include <libfdt.h>
 #include <fdt_support.h>
 #include <pci.h>
@@ -36,6 +37,35 @@
 
 DECLARE_GLOBAL_DATA_PTR;
 
+/*
+ * The following are used to control the SPI chip selects for the SPI command.
+ */
+#ifdef CONFIG_MPC8XXX_SPI
+
+#define SPI_CS_MASK	0x00400000
+
+int spi_cs_is_valid(unsigned int bus, unsigned int cs)
+{
+	return bus == 0 && cs == 0;
+}
+
+void spi_cs_activate(struct spi_slave *slave)
+{
+	immap_t *immr = (immap_t *)CONFIG_SYS_IMMR;
+
+	/* active low */
+	clrbits_be32(&immr->gpio[0].dat, SPI_CS_MASK);
+}
+
+void spi_cs_deactivate(struct spi_slave *slave)
+{
+	immap_t *immr = (immap_t *)CONFIG_SYS_IMMR;
+
+	/* inactive high */
+	setbits_be32(&immr->gpio[0].dat, SPI_CS_MASK);
+}
+#endif /* CONFIG_MPC8XXX_SPI */
+
 static u8 read_board_info(void)
 {
 	u8 val8;
@@ -109,6 +139,25 @@ void pci_init_board(void)
 */
 int misc_init_r(void)
 {
+#ifdef CONFIG_MPC8XXX_SPI
+	immap_t *immr = (immap_t *)CONFIG_SYS_IMMR;
+	sysconf83xx_t *sysconf = &immr->sysconf;
+
+	/*
+	 * Set proper bits in SICRH to allow SPI on header J8
+	 *
+	 * NOTE: this breaks the TSEC2 interface, attached to the Vitesse
+	 * switch. The pinmux configuration does not have a fine enough
+	 * granularity to support both simultaneously.
+	 */
+	clrsetbits_be32(&sysconf->sicrh, SICRH_GPIO_A_TSEC2, SICRH_GPIO_A_GPIO);
+	puts("WARNING: SPI enabled, TSEC2 support is broken\n");
+
+	/* Set header J8 SPI chip select output, disabled */
+	setbits_be32(&immr->gpio[0].dir, SPI_CS_MASK);
+	setbits_be32(&immr->gpio[0].dat, SPI_CS_MASK);
+#endif
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_VSC7385_IMAGE
 	if (vsc7385_upload_firmware((void *) CONFIG_VSC7385_IMAGE,
 		CONFIG_VSC7385_IMAGE_SIZE)) {
diff --git a/include/configs/MPC8308RDB.h b/include/configs/MPC8308RDB.h
index 7f2761c5391f2b72ab5d64930bb1d646dcb18664..a24538ad2062c316d85f63a3a302ce1442cc1ab8 100644
--- a/include/configs/MPC8308RDB.h
+++ b/include/configs/MPC8308RDB.h
@@ -340,6 +340,19 @@
 #define CONFIG_SYS_I2C_OFFSET	0x3000
 #define CONFIG_SYS_I2C2_OFFSET	0x3100
 
+/*
+ * SPI on header J8
+ *
+ * WARNING: enabling this will break TSEC2 (connected to the Vitesse switch)
+ * due to a pinmux conflict between GPIO9 (SPI chip select )and the TSEC2 pins.
+ */
+#ifdef CONFIG_MPC8XXX_SPI
+#define CONFIG_CMD_SPI
+#define CONFIG_USE_SPIFLASH
+#define CONFIG_SPI_FLASH
+#define CONFIG_SPI_FLASH_SPANSION
+#define CONFIG_CMD_SF
+#endif
 
 /*
  * Board info - revision and where boot from