My car did the same thing, the hose that runs to the thermostat should be a black rubber hose the only copper or aluminum hoses i know of is the ones that run to the ac unit and you don't want to cut them!!! there should be a 1" to 1 1/2" hose that runs from the radiator to the engine block...
I have a f-150 that runs good for 3-5 min and acts like it is not getting any gas. i have two tanks on my truck i use the front take as primary and barely use the rear tank. we had a really cold night and the next morning i put gas in the rear tank and every since then it has acted like it wants...