Might depend on the state, in Kansas all you need to do is send the frame number to the state and they will issue a title on it. I have submitted 5 of them and now have titles on each of them. Think it was something like $20 each.
I've got a 39 Deluxe 17K original mile frame with front & rear axles , transmission with shift lever ,pedals , steering box with wheel & 5 original paint wheels & hubcaps for $3500
this fall i bought a good 37-38 frame from a junk yard!! yes, they are still out there. 100 dollars, but i had to bring my own chain saw to cut the trees out of it. amazing, it really is rust free as it still had some rotten tires on that held it out of the dirt. when you go to the old junk yards you look waaaay in the back, like in the woods!
A few years ago I sold a rust free with title, axles, froze engine, trans, and steering column for $1500. A year later I needed one and searched very hard to find one. I ended up repairing the one I had, I regretted that one!