Many thanks Dave - unfortunately in my case it looks to be the female part (that fits into the body) that has split - the pins themselves on the hood and springs look to be fine. The split has made the metal part of the 'cone' compress down onto the latch such that on the one side the latch cannot slide side to side, so I'm guessing I need a new 'cone'. I'll upload some photos later if possible. If it's a MGB part I can ask Moss Motors over here in USA.
