Starter relay location

The starter fires right up when tested at the auto parts store. I tested the voltage on the signal wire and got a reading of 9v, the local Honda dealer service dept. Said it should read at 12v. I decided to run a new wire to the starter. The repair manual I have has a diagram of the electrical system for the relay, this diagram shows a "starter cut relay, " so I thought I should check this first. The manual only says the relay is located behind the middle of the dash, there are no pictures of it. The dealer said they only have part #s for relays and don't know which one is the starter relay, but then rambled out some technical jargon and gave me a part # of 39400-SV4-003. I googled this part # and it shows up as the main relay or an accessory relay (or both). What I'm wondering is:

Can I just bypass this relay and run a new wire straight from the ignition switch? (This would bypass the clutch interlock switch as well, but I always push the clutch out of habit when starting the car and never leave the car in gear when it is parked.)

If I can't bypass this relay, then do I take it out by removing the CD player? Which terminals do I use to test it? What reading should I expect to get? Do I have the right part #?

This vehicle is a second car and a work vehicle. It just needs to run. The car stopped running after it was hydrolocked in one of our sudden Florida downpours. The guy I bought it from had it lowered and also swapped the engine with a JDM engine that is supposed to be almost identical to the engine in a 93 Prelude 2.3L SOHC (only differences are.1 liter of displacement and O2 sensor location) I imagine the vehicle has other problems due to hydrolocking, but I don't know how to tackle or diagnose them without getting the car to at least attempt to start. I hope I have not rambled and thanks for your time and help!