Replacing the Mortal Kombat Tournament Joystick

Peace everyone. It's been a while since I last posted.

I'm thinking about modding my Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition Fightstick with IL parts. Replacing the buttons should be easy for me but I'm concerned about the stick itself. The square plate that's holding the stick together looks like it can't be taken out unless I rip the hard panel off. But there are screws on the circular piece and the microswitches that can be removable. So are there any tips you are all willing to share in replacing the stock joystick with an IL competition one?

Thanks in advance.

- GTA