Title searches on automobiles used to be limited to a state by state system of record keeping but with modern computer networks and fraud problems, the US Federal Government is implementing a system that gets more info as the years go by. Here's a link to it.
http://www.vehiclehistory.gov/
I would check that and the local your state DMV before trying to get it titled. If it already has a title, I would still run a check on it just to make sure it's legit.