Most states will no longer produce a title for old vehicles. They have no records prior to the date that they have information in their computerized database (1972 in NY and VA, for examples). They will provide a registration, if you have whatever they consider to be the appropriate documented ownership (title or registration that satisfactorily IDs the vehicle). As we regularly see, every state has their own rules (and the rules are sometimes inconsistently applied in some states).
The practice of using an engine ID is/was, of course, ridiculous - engines get replaced and an engine ID was not a unique identifier and an engine ID does not confirm that the engine was in the vehicle in which it was first installed.
This situation is not convenient or logical. People are often dishonest and DMVs are between a rock and a hard place: they want to register vehicles (and collect revenue) but they do not want to assist thieves.
