Patching up cars

My old car sprung a leak in a radiator hose at the end. I cut the end off and pushed it past the leak, and stopped it. I picked up new hoses, and planned to rod out mineral deposits in the tubes the coolant flows through, that the same few were completely plugged up 10yrs ago when I had to replace the hoses. Pretty sure I used distilled water, but maybe it wasn't that distilled. It was a long time ago, so maybe I think I did, and didn't. Had another leak to fix, that I just plugged with stop leak, so maybe I was gona use distilled then.

I had a problem with overheating this summer that seemed like a binding brake, which I replaced the defective brake hose, but it still ran too hot. I think another part of the brake is binding, but it doesn't feel like it, but the wheel still seems to get hotter than the other. I found out that the thermostat is sticking open, and lets the coolant flow as soon as I start the car, when it shouldn't open till the motor heats up, to regulate the temp. I had picked up a stat thinking that might be the overheating problem, with it staying shut, and now that it stays open it definitely is defective. It cot cold this weekend, and I didn't have the hoses, so hoping for a mild day. The bolts to get the stat out are probably corroded, and a neighbor broke one off trying to get his out so I am hesitant to work on it with winter setting in, If I do gona be Mighty careful I don't break the bolts, and do everything not to, and may just leave the job till spring, since I fixed the leaky hose, at least for now. The hose could leak again, though I cleaned the hose and applied some rubber cement to the spot, in hopes to reinforce it a bit. I've worked in much colder weather, but that was years agoi and before my injury, but trying zinc again to not feel the cold, like I did when walking my hounds whenever I felt up to it, even on the coldest nites, and didn't realize it was as cold, till I came back into the house and felt the heat. Just wondering how much zinc I can take, but think my body doesn't absorb or metabolize it from foods, the way the pill works.