I recently purchased an 01 2500. When I tried to open the hood, the main latch activated but when I went to the hood the safety latch disconnected and came off. How can I open the hood without damaging or cutting a hole in the grill. What area of the grill should I try to reach the safety latch and how should I attempt to move it. Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

My sisters truck was locked one time and she thought the key was on the shroud so I had to get it for her. After some shroud banging and almost getting a pocket knife in my eye I decided to take the latch off to get the hood open.
If you look from under the truck you will see a bolt on each side of the latch.
With a really long extension (or a few of them) you can reach those two bolts with a socket.
After taking them out the hood will lift right up.
Then take a towel and press it down hard on the latch and pull the cable with some pliers and it'll pop out. That latch has a lot of tension, that's why you need a towel.
After opening the hood my sister decided it'd be a good idea to mess with it and that thing let go and shot into the hood. I almost peed a little.

 

IIRC the safety latch needs to be pushed to the passenger side to release. I'd look but mine is getting inspected.

 

it needs to be pushed towards the front of the truck...if you have long arms or a long screw driver i believe you can get it by going from under the front bumper you just have to push up where it would normally pin in