Python Forum

I do not understand why you compiled to do some test with this.
It's in site-package.

site-packages/pip
site-packages/pip/commands/search.py

If the wheel is compressed you have to unpack it and hope that it work.

With virtual environment.

mint@mint ~ $ python -m venv pip_env
mint@mint ~ $ cd pip_env
mint@mint ~/pip_env $ source bin/activate
(pip_env) mint@mint ~/pip_env $ pip -V
pip 9.0.1 from /home/mint/pip_env/lib/python3.6/site-packages (python 3.6)

(pip_env) mint@mint ~/pip_env/lib/python3.6/site-packages $ cd pip
(pip_env) mint@mint ~/pip_env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/pip $ cd commands
(pip_env) mint@mint ~/pip_env/lib/python3.6/site-packages/pip/commands $ ls
check.py       download.py  hash.py  __init__.py  list.py      search.py  uninstall.py
completion.py  freeze.py    help.py  install.py   __pycache__  show.py    wheel.py

With pyenv.

mint@mint ~ $ pyenv install 3.6.4
Downloading Python-3.6.4.tar.xz...
-> https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.6.1/Python-3.6.4.tar.xz
Installing Python-3.6.4...
Installed Python-3.6.4 to /home/mint/.pyenv/versions/3.6.4