If you are mounting a 4-way onto 3/4" material, the #1 best option is to route a pocket in the bottom of the panel, or use a metal plate to top mount the stick.
Due to the geometry of a 4-way, the throw is already longer than an 8-way, due to one not wanting to be able to engage more than one switch at a time. That long throw is greatly exacerbated by a long shaft, making an already non-ideal situation much worse. The longer the shaft, the less responsive it will feel in play. There's a reason why the original Pac sticks barely protruded above the panel and this is it.