Stop in for a cup of coffee

He get's a lot of information free by looking at vin's, fender tags, and asking questions. In return he should give out information people ask for. Often times he doesn't. Like here, "Here's my fender tag and build sheet. Decode it for me." He won't. He gets paid for that. That's what people don't like about him.
.
Well i don't much care for him either.
That said, how he gathers info, short of stealing it
Is just his business.
Sharing what knowledge he has invested time in well, he is running a business.
You want his service you pay.
Me if I was really interested and didn't want to pay, then I would research myself.