diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 620b48a..e322d0a 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1302,6 +1302,26 @@
   DEF_MAKE_RULE="all"
 fi
 
+# Make llvm-relatec checks work on systems where llvm tools are not installed with their
+# normal names in the default $PATH (ie: Ubuntu).  They exist under the
+# non-suffixed name in their versioned llvm directory.
+
+llvm_bin_dir=''
+llvm_path="${PATH}"
+if test "${CC}" = "clang"
+then
+  clang_bin=`which clang`
+  # Some systems install clang elsewhere as a symlink to the real path
+  # which is where the related llvm tools are located.
+  if test -L "${clang_bin}"
+  then
+    clang_dir=`dirname "${clang_bin}"`
+    clang_bin=`readlink "${clang_bin}"`
+    llvm_bin_dir="${clang_dir}/"`dirname "${clang_bin}"`
+    llvm_path="${llvm_path}${PATH_SEPARATOR}${llvm_bin_dir}"
+  fi
+fi
+
 # Enable LTO flags
 AC_MSG_CHECKING(for --with-lto)
 AC_ARG_WITH(lto, AS_HELP_STRING([--with-lto], [Enable Link Time Optimization in any build. Disabled by default.]),
@@ -1318,6 +1338,33 @@
 if test "$Py_LTO" = 'true' ; then
   case $CC in
     *clang*)
+      AC_SUBST(LLVM_AR)
+      AC_PATH_TARGET_TOOL(LLVM_AR, llvm-ar, '', ${llvm_path})
+      AC_SUBST(LLVM_AR_FOUND)
+      if test -n "${LLVM_AR}" -a -x "${LLVM_AR}"
+      then
+        LLVM_AR_FOUND="found"
+      else
+        LLVM_AR_FOUND="not-found"
+      fi
+      if test "$ac_sys_system" = "Darwin" -a "${LLVM_AR_FOUND}" = "not-found"
+      then
+        found_llvm_ar=`/usr/bin/xcrun -find llvm-ar 2>/dev/null`
+        if test -n "${found_llvm_ar}"
+        then
+          LLVM_AR='/usr/bin/xcrun llvm-ar'
+          LLVM_AR_FOUND=found
+          AC_MSG_NOTICE([llvm-ar found via xcrun: ${LLVM_AR}])
+        fi
+      fi
+      if test $LLVM_AR_FOUND = not-found
+      then
+        LLVM_PROFR_ERR=yes
+        AC_MSG_ERROR([llvm-ar is required for a --with-lto build with clang but could not be found.])
+      else
+        LLVM_AR_ERR=no
+      fi
+      AR="${LLVM_AR}"
       case $ac_sys_system in
         Darwin*)
           # Any changes made here should be reflected in the GCC+Darwin case below
@@ -1347,7 +1394,7 @@
       LTOFLAGS="$LTOFLAGS -g"
   fi
 
-  CFLAGS="$CFLAGS $LTOFLAGS"
+  BASECFLAGS="$BASECFLAGS $LTOFLAGS"
   LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS $LTOFLAGS"
 fi
 
@@ -1357,24 +1404,6 @@
 AC_SUBST(LLVM_PROF_MERGER)
 AC_SUBST(LLVM_PROF_FILE)
 AC_SUBST(LLVM_PROF_ERR)
-# Make this work on systems where llvm tools are not installed with their
-# normal names in the default $PATH (ie: Ubuntu).  They exist under the
-# non-suffixed name in their versioned llvm directory.
-llvm_bin_dir=''
-llvm_path="${PATH}"
-if test "${CC}" = "clang"
-then
-  clang_bin=`which clang`
-  # Some systems install clang elsewhere as a symlink to the real path
-  # which is where the related llvm tools are located.
-  if test -L "${clang_bin}"
-  then
-    clang_dir=`dirname "${clang_bin}"`
-    clang_bin=`readlink "${clang_bin}"`
-    llvm_bin_dir="${clang_dir}/"`dirname "${clang_bin}"`
-    llvm_path="${llvm_path}${PATH_SEPARATOR}${llvm_bin_dir}"
-  fi
-fi
 AC_SUBST(LLVM_PROFDATA)
 AC_PATH_TARGET_TOOL(LLVM_PROFDATA, llvm-profdata, '', ${llvm_path})
 AC_SUBST(LLVM_PROF_FOUND)