diff --git a/importer/helpers/dagbuilder.go b/importer/helpers/dagbuilder.go
index f391495871a..ede6759fb66 100644
--- a/importer/helpers/dagbuilder.go
+++ b/importer/helpers/dagbuilder.go
@@ -78,6 +78,11 @@ func (db *DagBuilderHelper) Next() []byte {
 	return d
 }
 
+// GetDagServ returns the dagservice object this Helper is using
+func (db *DagBuilderHelper) GetDagServ() dag.DAGService {
+	return db.dserv
+}
+
 // FillNodeLayer will add datanodes as children to the give node until
 // at most db.indirSize ndoes are added
 //
@@ -86,7 +91,7 @@ func (db *DagBuilderHelper) FillNodeLayer(node *UnixfsNode) error {
 
 	// while we have room AND we're not done
 	for node.NumChildren() < db.maxlinks && !db.Done() {
-		child := NewUnixfsNode()
+		child := NewUnixfsBlock()
 
 		if err := db.FillNodeWithData(child); err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -110,7 +115,7 @@ func (db *DagBuilderHelper) FillNodeWithData(node *UnixfsNode) error {
 		return ErrSizeLimitExceeded
 	}
 
-	node.setData(data)
+	node.SetData(data)
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/importer/helpers/helpers.go b/importer/helpers/helpers.go
index 7e4a55f2792..be0415db038 100644
--- a/importer/helpers/helpers.go
+++ b/importer/helpers/helpers.go
@@ -38,20 +38,51 @@ var ErrSizeLimitExceeded = fmt.Errorf("object size limit exceeded")
 // of unixfs DAG trees
 type UnixfsNode struct {
 	node *dag.Node
-	ufmt *ft.MultiBlock
+	ufmt *ft.FSNode
 }
 
+// NewUnixfsNode creates a new Unixfs node to represent a file
 func NewUnixfsNode() *UnixfsNode {
 	return &UnixfsNode{
 		node: new(dag.Node),
-		ufmt: new(ft.MultiBlock),
+		ufmt: &ft.FSNode{Type: ft.TFile},
 	}
 }
 
+// NewUnixfsBlock creates a new Unixfs node to represent a raw data block
+func NewUnixfsBlock() *UnixfsNode {
+	return &UnixfsNode{
+		node: new(dag.Node),
+		ufmt: &ft.FSNode{Type: ft.TRaw},
+	}
+}
+
+// NewUnixfsNodeFromDag reconstructs a Unixfs node from a given dag node
+func NewUnixfsNodeFromDag(nd *dag.Node) (*UnixfsNode, error) {
+	mb, err := ft.FSNodeFromBytes(nd.Data)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return &UnixfsNode{
+		node: nd,
+		ufmt: mb,
+	}, nil
+}
+
 func (n *UnixfsNode) NumChildren() int {
 	return n.ufmt.NumChildren()
 }
 
+func (n *UnixfsNode) GetChild(i int, ds dag.DAGService) (*UnixfsNode, error) {
+	nd, err := n.node.Links[i].GetNode(ds)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return NewUnixfsNodeFromDag(nd)
+}
+
 // addChild will add the given UnixfsNode as a child of the receiver.
 // the passed in DagBuilderHelper is used to store the child node an
 // pin it locally so it doesnt get lost
@@ -83,7 +114,13 @@ func (n *UnixfsNode) AddChild(child *UnixfsNode, db *DagBuilderHelper) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (n *UnixfsNode) setData(data []byte) {
+// Removes the child node at the given index
+func (n *UnixfsNode) RemoveChild(index int) {
+	n.ufmt.RemoveBlockSize(index)
+	n.node.Links = append(n.node.Links[:index], n.node.Links[index+1:]...)
+}
+
+func (n *UnixfsNode) SetData(data []byte) {
 	n.ufmt.Data = data
 }
 
diff --git a/unixfs/format.go b/unixfs/format.go
index 5e12d52acaf..61bb2ec9e84 100644
--- a/unixfs/format.go
+++ b/unixfs/format.go
@@ -9,6 +9,13 @@ import (
 	pb "github.com/jbenet/go-ipfs/unixfs/pb"
 )
 
+const (
+	TRaw       = pb.Data_Raw
+	TFile      = pb.Data_File
+	TDirectory = pb.Data_Directory
+	TMetadata  = pb.Data_Metadata
+)
+
 var ErrMalformedFileFormat = errors.New("malformed data in file format")
 var ErrInvalidDirLocation = errors.New("found directory node in unexpected place")
 var ErrUnrecognizedType = errors.New("unrecognized node type")
@@ -98,33 +105,60 @@ func DataSize(data []byte) (uint64, error) {
 	}
 }
 
-type MultiBlock struct {
-	Data       []byte
+type FSNode struct {
+	Data []byte
+
+	// total data size for each child
 	blocksizes []uint64
-	subtotal   uint64
+
+	// running sum of blocksizes
+	subtotal uint64
+
+	// node type of this node
+	Type pb.Data_DataType
+}
+
+func FSNodeFromBytes(b []byte) (*FSNode, error) {
+	pbn := new(pb.Data)
+	err := proto.Unmarshal(b, pbn)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	n := new(FSNode)
+	n.Data = pbn.Data
+	n.blocksizes = pbn.Blocksizes
+	n.subtotal = pbn.GetFilesize() - uint64(len(n.Data))
+	n.Type = pbn.GetType()
+	return n, nil
+}
+
+// AddBlockSize adds the size of the next child block of this node
+func (n *FSNode) AddBlockSize(s uint64) {
+	n.subtotal += s
+	n.blocksizes = append(n.blocksizes, s)
 }
 
-func (mb *MultiBlock) AddBlockSize(s uint64) {
-	mb.subtotal += s
-	mb.blocksizes = append(mb.blocksizes, s)
+func (n *FSNode) RemoveBlockSize(i int) {
+	n.subtotal -= n.blocksizes[i]
+	n.blocksizes = append(n.blocksizes[:i], n.blocksizes[i+1:]...)
 }
 
-func (mb *MultiBlock) GetBytes() ([]byte, error) {
+func (n *FSNode) GetBytes() ([]byte, error) {
 	pbn := new(pb.Data)
-	t := pb.Data_File
-	pbn.Type = &t
-	pbn.Filesize = proto.Uint64(uint64(len(mb.Data)) + mb.subtotal)
-	pbn.Blocksizes = mb.blocksizes
-	pbn.Data = mb.Data
+	pbn.Type = &n.Type
+	pbn.Filesize = proto.Uint64(uint64(len(n.Data)) + n.subtotal)
+	pbn.Blocksizes = n.blocksizes
+	pbn.Data = n.Data
 	return proto.Marshal(pbn)
 }
 
-func (mb *MultiBlock) FileSize() uint64 {
-	return uint64(len(mb.Data)) + mb.subtotal
+func (n *FSNode) FileSize() uint64 {
+	return uint64(len(n.Data)) + n.subtotal
 }
 
-func (mb *MultiBlock) NumChildren() int {
-	return len(mb.blocksizes)
+func (n *FSNode) NumChildren() int {
+	return len(n.blocksizes)
 }
 
 type Metadata struct {
diff --git a/unixfs/format_test.go b/unixfs/format_test.go
index 5065c7bc5ee..b15ed07891e 100644
--- a/unixfs/format_test.go
+++ b/unixfs/format_test.go
@@ -7,15 +7,16 @@ import (
 	pb "github.com/jbenet/go-ipfs/unixfs/pb"
 )
 
-func TestMultiBlock(t *testing.T) {
-	mbf := new(MultiBlock)
+func TestFSNode(t *testing.T) {
+	fsn := new(FSNode)
+	fsn.Type = TFile
 	for i := 0; i < 15; i++ {
-		mbf.AddBlockSize(100)
+		fsn.AddBlockSize(100)
 	}
 
-	mbf.Data = make([]byte, 128)
+	fsn.Data = make([]byte, 128)
 
-	b, err := mbf.GetBytes()
+	b, err := fsn.GetBytes()
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}