Diesel trucks are probably one of the most cost-prohibitive hobbies to get into out there. The trucks often start in the mid-five-digit range, the replacement parts cost an arm, and the upgrades cost the leg, but that doesn’t stop the determined from breaking through.

Take Andrew “Yogie” Ybarra, a born-and-bred Texan living in Odessa. Nestled there near the sharp southeastern corner of New Mexico, the city has an interesting flavor as the rival sibling to Midland and a frequent victim of muddy rainstorms. It’s what many might consider a “quiet town,” but Andrew is not a quiet soul.

Through his Instagram accounts, Exclusive and yogiebarra, he’s made a spectacle of his recent build: a 2014 Ram 3500 dually crew cab. Dating back two years now, the build has come a long way and looks to be one that will stun and amaze for months to come. We reached out to Andrew and started finding out what went into this larger-than-life project.

Beginnings And Its First SEMA Show

Andrew first got into diesel trucks when he was in high school. “I fell in love with the older 7.3-liter Power Stroke Fords, and the 12-valve Cummins,” he said. “A lot of the kids around here were fortunate enough to have vehicles provided to them by their parents, and for better or worse, I was not one of those kids.”

From early on, Andrew made a point to work for the trucks he would one day own and modify. He could admire the ones others his age were driving around, but Andrew’s truck would be paid for by hard work. That was how he got his first diesel, a 2002 Dodge Ram 3500. But it wasn’t the truck that would satisfy his dreams.

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Where others had received their trucks from their parents, Andrew was proud of the fact that he had worked hard to reward himself with his own diesel project truck.

“I always told myself that when I got to the point that I was able to, I would build a truck that would stand out and be recognized as one badass truck, in a state full of badass trucks,” he proclaimed. He continued working in the oil industry that Texas is so well known for, eventually becoming a measurement supervisor for a major oil pipeline company.

He finally started realizing his dream in earnest in February 2015, when he was able to purchase this current Cummins, which became known as “Dirty Girl.” He picked it up in Pendleton, Oregon, for a hefty sum, even though it didn’t have everything in order.

“It had some rear bumper damage, a dent in the tailgate, and a cracked driver’s side mirror,” he once said. “It was never repaired prior to me picking it up, but it’s okay. I am planning on doing a lot of change to the truck here pretty quickly.”

After driving over 1,500 miles from Pendleton back to Odessa, Andrew had the truck stripped of most of its graphic wrap and run as a clean, white pickup for several weeks. But on the side, he was crafting something big – as in, SEMA-level big.

That’s right, Andrew was aiming to have his Ram showcased at the SEMA Show. Working together with the fine folks at Flyin’ High Diesel in Kerrville, Texas, Andrew was able to make his dreams become manifest.

What followed was months of preparation and work to get the Ram ready for its debut. It wound up being a SEMA debut that Andrew was proud of, but he knew he could do better.

Shout Out To @strictly_custom_designs For Snapping This Pic Of My Bitch In The @americanforcewheels Booth. @flyindieselperformance @americanforcewheels @addoffroad @rigidindustriesofficial @plainansimple1

A photo posted by @yogiebarra on Nov 22, 2015 at 5:18pm PST

The Second SEMA Show For The Ram

The next year was about giving Dirty Girl some bodacious exterior and interior improvements. As this was all devoted toward the aesthetics department, it was bound to run into some bumps, but the team pressed on and gave Andrew something he could be proud of.

“Either it’s right, or it’s not,” said Andrew. “There is no in-between with me.” He entrusted his interior to Mobile Toys Inc. in College Station, Texas, who knocked it out of the park with a hand-stitched, tangerine-and-black leather scheme mixed with various audio boosts from Illusion Audio and Mosconi America.

“The interior has to be my favorite part of this entire build,” commented Andrew. “I’m pretty sure that I’m the only person driving around with a fully custom tangerine leather interior. Having a custom audio and video system doesn’t hurt either.”

With the clock ticking down, Andrew got his Ram over to New Orleans, Louisiana. Here, it was to undergo an exterior overhaul with PGNOLA at the helm. Devoted to custom vehicle wraps, PGNOLA went to work transforming the outside appearance of the Cummins to match its luxurious inside.

The first was a “Milky Way” wrap, meaning black with silver metal flake. On top were added Reflective Orange, Brushed Titanium, and more colors to add that ultimate spice of life – variety. “While everyone else is playing it safe and doing the same old [thing], we decided to push the limits on this build,” said Andrew. “Layers on layers. One of one. I’m sure that someone with try to rock this reflective orange in the future. Just know that we did it first.”

To make it to the SEMA Show with a killer build is something every truck guy thinks of at least once in his life. Andrew’s gotten to live through it twice now and had this to say: “I loved traveling to Las Vegas for SEMA. The experience was beyond amazing and the response that the truck made all of our efforts worth it.”

Let The Game Begin. Shoutout to @flyindieselperformance And @jmo_42 For Your Continued Support. I've Picked A New Color Scheme That @redline_exhaust Is Going To Kill. I've Reached Out To @pixelwerks And His Crew. We Are Going To Tear It Down This Year. #SEMA2016

A photo posted by @yogiebarra on Apr 19, 2016 at 7:25am PDT

The future of Dirty Girl is looking bright, to say the least. Andrew has been plotting what he wants to do next, and it’s just as flamboyant as you might expect. “The truck is currently having its frame painted tangerine to match the suspension,” he said. “It is also having the front portion of the air ride suspension removed and replaced with coilovers. Beyond that the truck was already a complete build, so there’s not much more that I can do to it.”

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"I purchased this truck with the intention of building a nice personal truck," said Andrew. "Something that I had previously only dreamed of. That being said I had never imagined it turning into what it is today. The build definitely took on a life of its own this year!"

Looking back on this Ram build and how far along it has come, it’s definitely already one of the more amazing trucks we’ve seen in recent memory. What do you think? Would you build out your diesel truck to a level like this? Let us know in the comments below.